Glaucoma is usually seen in
elderly individuals. Due to age, other comorbidities, and lack of social
support, glaucoma patients have difficulties in instilling the eyedrops
prescribed for their disease. Lack of compliance is a significant factor in
poor control of intraocular pressure (IOP).
In order to overcome the
difficulty in drop instillation, eye drops aids have been devised. Eye drop
aids are small, reusable tools that attach to standard medication bottles to
ensure accurate alignment, prevent blinking, and make squeezing easier. They
reduce drop waste and minimize the risk of touching the eye's surface with the
bottle tip.
A few types of eyedrop aids are
presented here:
AUTODROP:
Autodrop is a mechanical device
designed to facilitate precise eye drop delivery. It attaches to standard eye
drop bottles and rests on the cheek bone, ensuring proper alignment and
minimizing spillage outside the eye.
Advantages:
- User friendly
- Offers improved accuracy in eye drop delivery
- Ease of use
- Decreased risk of bottle tip contamination
- Decreased risk of injury to the eye surface from the bottle tip
Disadvantages:
- The inconvenience of an additional step.
- May increase the number of drops used for some patients.
AUTOSQUEEZE:
Autosqueeze & Opticare
Arthro: These are lever-based attachments designed to increase
gripping leverage, making it much easier to squeeze bottles if you have
arthritis or grip issues. Autosqueeze is a mechanical device designed to
eliminate the difficulty of squeezing the eyedrop bottle. It has a central
holder that attaches to standard eye drop bottles and a wing on either side.
Squeezing the wings will cause the grooves on the inside of the wing to apply
pressure to the eye drop bottle so that one eye drop is released.
Advantages:
- Ergonomic grip
- Helps overcome mobility difficulties
- Can be used in combination with the Autodrop
Disadvantages:
- Inconvenience of an additional step.
NANODROPPER:
Nanodropper is a portable
attachment that reduces the size of eye drop droplets, allowing for more
efficient dosing and reduced wastage. It attaches to standard eye drop bottles
and dispenses smaller, more precise drops, maximizing the number of doses per
bottle.
Advantages:
- Precision dosing
- Improved adherence to the medication schedule
- Cost efficiency
- Decreased side effects
- Decreased waste
- Improved accuracy
Disadvantages:
- Learning curve to using the device
- Inconvenience of an additional step
- Extending the bottle life span may increase the risk for contamination
- Its compatibility with different bottle designs may vary.
GENTLEDROP:
GentleDrop is a nose point pivot
device, where the eye drop bottle is inserted into a sleeve. That sleeve is
then rested on the bridge of the nose, ensuring proper alignment.
Advantages:
- Improved aim
- Minimizing waste
- Reduced risk of bottle tip contamination
Disadvantages:
- Incompatible with some eye drop bottles
- Inconvenience of an additional step
- May be difficult to use for patients with limited dexterity.
EYE DROP GUIDE:
The Eyedrop Guide ensures precise
application of eye drops, making it easier for both seniors and children to
use. This eyedrop guide aid is compact making it convenient to carry in a bag or
pocket for on the go use.
This eyedrop bottle dispenser avoids waste caused by incorrect and extra instillation of drops. This eye dropper aid tool is made of abs material, making it easy to clean and reusable.
