Persistence with medical glaucoma therapy in newly diagnosed patients

Abstract Background: Monotherapy, age, and side effects are significant risk factors for the discontinuation of antiglaucoma therapy. Long-term therapy persistence is crucial for slowing disease progression and preventing irreversible blindness. Therefore, it is essential to identify patients at higher risk of discontinuation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the real-world persistence of antiglaucoma therapy in patients diagnosed with glaucoma in the primary healthcare units of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley regions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study by collecting data from the prescription records of new antiglaucoma drug users diagnosed with glaucoma between ۲۰۱۲ and ۲۰۱۳ in the Primary Health Care Units of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region. These patients were followed over ۳ years. Therapy persistence was measured as the proportion of patients remaining on any antiglaucoma drug, regardless of any modifications or switching of drugs over time. Persistence was assessed at three time points: the end of the first, second, and third years of the observation period. Results: A total of ۲۱۳۸ patients treated using new antiglaucoma drugs (۸۶۷ [۴۰.۶%] male patients; ۱۲۷۱ [۵۹.۴%] female patients) were included in the study. Over the observation period, the overall persistence rate decreased from ۹۱.۹% (n = ۱۹۶۵) in the first year to ۶۷.۳% (n = ۱۴۳۹) in the third year. Older patients (greater than or equal to ۶۵ years) showed higher persistence rates, although there was a decrease over the ۳-year follow-up period (from ۱۴۸۱ [۹۲.۷%] to ۱۱۲۴ [۷۰.۴%]). Additionally, participants initially treated with monotherapy showed higher persistence rates, ranging from ۹۲.۴% (n = ۱۱۸۶) in the first year to ۷۰.۲% (n = ۹۰۱) in the third year. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of patient follow-up over time, as almost one in three new antiglaucoma therapy users completely discontinued treatment, potentially risking disease progression. This could be mitigated with proper use of these drugs. Further studies should utilize recent health information systems to explore the impact of medication adherence and persistence on the functional and structural outcomes in patients with glaucoma.