ABSTRACT

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and the number of Americans with glaucoma is expected to increase by 50% in the next 15years. This study seeks to assess the knowledge of medication and its adherence among patients with glaucoma in a tertiary healthcare facility in Edo. The study was outlined into five chapters. Relevant literature were reviewed under discourse, theoretical framework and empirical review of related studies were also discussed. The research methodology, which adopted the survey research design, and Convenient sampling method was used to select one hundred and eighty-eight(188) patients with glaucoma in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo state. A well-structured questionnaire was used as instrument of data collection. Analysis and interpretation of data were also discussed, using tables with percentage and means to represent the information. The result from the study shows that the respondents have good knowledge of medications used for treatment of glaucoma. Also, majority of the respondents showed that they have good level of medication adherence and the factors which majorly influences medication adherence includes; confusion regarding medication schedules, family support, challenges such as difficulty in administering eye drops, medical history, routine follow-up, pain/discomfort, forgetfulness, outstation travel, cost of medicine, unavailability of drugs, and even laziness.

KEYWORDS: Knowledge, Medications, Adherence, Patients