Multiple medications and quality of life of Nigerians with primary open angle glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the impact of multiple medications on the quality of life of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients on medical treatment at Guinness Eye Centre Onitsha, Nigeria

Materials and Methods

Adult patients diagnosed with POAG who were undergoing medical therapy were selected through systematic sampling. They were asked to provide information on socio-demographic background, the number and types of glaucoma medications they were using and any adverse effects encountered while using these medications. The patients’ quality of life was assessed by utilizing the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25) and all patients completed ocular examination. Data analysis was with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.

Results

One hundred and seventy-one patients, aged 40–83 years, mean 59.1 ± 11.1 were studied; there were 79(46.2%) males and 92(53.8%) females. One hundred and nine (63.7%) patients were on multiple medications. Side effects of treatment increased with increasing number of medications. The mean quality of life score in monotherapy group and double therapy group were 89.3 ± 15.8 and 80.2 ± 21.1 respectively; while that in ≥ triple therapy group was 78.9 ± 18.8. This decrease in mean quality of life score with increasing number of medications was statistically significant in bivariate analysis (P < 0.01), however, multiple regression analysis showed that the number of medications did not significantly affect the quality of life scores after adjusting for confounding variables(p = 0.881).

Conclusion

Among the patients studied, use of multiple medications, unlike visual acuity (VA) and severity of glaucoma, was not an independent predictor of quality of life.

Keywords

Glaucoma medical therapies < GLAUCOMA open angle glaucoma < GLAUCOMA PHARMACOLOGY epidemiology / risk factors < GLAUCOMA GLAUCOMA

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Basic and Clinical Science Course. American Academy of Ophthalmology .Section 10.Glaucoma. 2023. 1–177 p.

Kyari

Entekume

Rabiu

, et al. A population-based survey of the prevalence and types of glaucoma in Nigeria: results from the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey. BMC Ophthalmol 2015; 15: 176.

Quigley

Broman

. The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. Br J Ophthalmol 2006; 90: 262–267.

Kyari

Gudlavalleti

MVS

Sivsubramaniam

, et al. Prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in Nigeria: the national blindness and visual impairment survey. Investig Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2009; 50: 2033–2039.

Prum

Rosenberg

Gedde

, et al. Primary open-angle glaucoma preferred practice pattern® guidelines. Ophthalmology 2016; 123: 41–111.

Abdull

Gilbert

Evans

. Primary open angle glaucoma in northern Nigeria: stage at presentation and acceptance of treatment. BMC Ophthalmol 2015; 15: 111.

Felce

Perry

. Quality of life: its definition and measurement. Res Dev Disabil 1995; 16: 51–57.

Altangerel

Spaeth

Rhee

. Visual function, disability, and psychological impact of glaucoma. Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2003; 14: 100–105.

WHOQoL Group. Study protocol for the World Health Organization project to develop a Quality of Life assessment instrument (WHOQOL). Qual Life Res 1993; 2: 153–159.

10.

Onakoya

Mbadugha

Aribaba

, et al. Quality of life of primary open angle glaucoma patients in Lagos, Nigeria: clinical and sociodemographic correlates. J Glaucoma 2012; 21: 287–295.

11.

Ezenwa

Nwosu

. Self-reported quality of life among primary open angle glaucoma patients at Guinness Eye Centre Onitsha, Nigeria. Heal Sci J 2020; 14: 727.

12.

World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki [Internet]. Available from: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration -of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects.

13.

Brusini

Johnson

. Staging functional damage in glaucoma. Review of different classification methods. Surv Ophthalmol 2007; 52: 156–179.

14.

Sheerwood

. Essential outcome measures are not acuity, visual field and pressure but rather performance and quality of life [Internet]. 2003. Available from: http://www.willsglaucoma.org/2003symp/sherwood.htm.

15.

Mbadugha

Onakoya

. The awareness,perceptions and experiences of primary open-angle glaucoma patients in lagos, Nigeria. Sci Rep 2014; 4: 7585.

16.

Sleath

Blalock

Covert

, et al. The relationship between glaucoma medication adherence, eye drop technique, and visual field defect severity. Ophthalmology 2011; 118: 2398–2402.

17.

Floriani

Quaranta

Rulli

, et al. Health-related quality of life in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. An Italian multicentre observational study. Acta Ophthalmol 2016; 94: e278–e286.

18.

Knani

Gatfaoui

Mahjoub

, et al. Étude préliminaire de la qualité de vie des patients glaucomateux dans la région de Sousse (Tunisie) : associations sociodémographiques et cliniques. J Fr Ophtalmol 2017; 40: 196–201.

19.

Riva

Micheletti

Legramandi

, et al. The effect of glaucoma treatments on quality of life. Investig Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020; 61: 2660.

20.

Rossi

GCM

Pasinetti

Briola

, et al. Effect of glaucoma medications on quality of life examined by generic and vision specific instruments. J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2010; 1: 1–4.

21.

Montemayor

Sibley

Courtright

. Contribution of multiple glaucoma medications to visual function and quality of life. Can J Ophthalmol 2001; 36: 385–390.