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Smartphone app could assist with patient compliance
An application to help patients remember to take their eye drops has been developed for Android phones through Google Play and for the iPhone through the App Store, searchable as “EyeDROPS,” according to a press release from HarPas International.
The free basic app, introduced by HarPas International, could help revolutionize patient compliance through the first mobile reminder app.
“The EyeDROPS app should enhance medication compliance and adherence in any chronic eye condition, but especially in patients with glaucoma,” Tom Harbin, MD, co-developer and glaucoma specialist, said in the release. “The single biggest problem — especially with glaucoma — is getting people to take their drops regularly when they have an increasingly complex drop regimen.”
“The EyeDROPS pull-down menus prompt users to enter drug regimen information, including dosages and schedules,” the release said. “The EyeDROPS app then alerts patients via their phones when it’s time to apply their eye drops. With one simple keystroke, the EyeDROPS app simultaneously keeps a record of medication usage and automatically informs the patient of the next scheduled dosing time.”
A premium version at a nominal fee is also planned, which would offer more features, including the ability to enter drop regimens for more than one person, track compliance for weeks and months, and send this information via email to the patient’s physician.