Higher levels of near-vision related quality of life were associated with higher adherence to glaucoma medications after adjusting for important confounding variables among participants in the SEE personalized glaucoma coaching pilot study.
To investigate the association between vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) and glaucoma medication adherence.
Subjects were recruited for the Support, Educate, Empower (SEE) program, a prospective non-controlled cohort study examining the impact of a personalized coaching program on glaucoma medication adherence. Glaucoma patients seen at the University of Michigan over 40 years old, taking ≥1 glaucoma medication, and self-reported poor adherence on two validated scales were recruited. Demographic details and VRQoL using the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) were collected. Participants’ medication use for each prescribed glaucoma medication was captured electronically using a medication events monitoring system (Adheretech, New York, NY). The association between VRQoL and medication adherence was assessed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) and linear regression.
Among the 95 eligible participants 49.5% were female, 55.3% were Caucasian, and mean age (±standard deviation) was 63.8±10.5 years. Mean adherence to glaucoma medication was 73.8%±21.0%. Mean NEI VFQ-25 composite score was 81.6±14.5. Better medication adherence was significantly and positively correlated with better functioning in domains of ocular pain (r=0.20, P=0.048), near activities (r=0.29, P=0.004), and role difficulties (r=0.22, P=0.036). Linear regression models adjusting for known correlates of medication adherence (age, gender, race, income), showed a 10-unit increase in self-perceived near activities function was associated with a 2.2% increase in medication adherence (95% confidence interval 1.0%-5.4%; P=0.0056).
Better self-perceived near activities function was associated with increased glaucoma medication adherence.

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