A cross-sectional study of the actual use of eye drops in a Saudi community

Purpose: To investigate the actual use of eye drops with respect to their administration, storage, and disposal in a community in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional observational survey was conducted online. All the relevant data were collected using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: demographic characteristics of the participants, attitude of participants with respect to the administration and storage of eye drops, and the participants' understanding of the role of pharmacist in enhancing patients' compliance with eye drop regimens. Results: A total of 720 participants were included in the study, viz, 229 males (31.8 %) and 491 females (68.2 %). Majority of the participants (82.5 %) indicated that they avoided touching their eyes with the bottle tip. Likewise, most participants (90.8 %) reported that they applied eye ointment after administering eye drops while 30.6 % allowed an interval of < 5 min between eye drop and ointment administration. However, 30.5 % of the participants gave an interval of 5 - 10 min between eye drop and ointment treatment. Furthermore, 32.5% reported that they consistently washed their hands before administering eye drops, while only 29.6 % occasionally washed their hands. Conclusion: These results indicate that all the patients used eye drops improperly at some point in time, and thus, there is a need for counselling on the appropriate use of eye drops as an essential step towards successful treatment.