Patient satisfaction and comfort are often key factors when determining the best treatment course, particularly within glaucoma treatment. Dr. Bacharach discussed the importance of a recent survey that evaluated the satisfaction of patients who had received preservative-free latanoprost (PFL; Thea Laboratories) for at least 3 months.
The PFL formulation in the survey, which was conducted in Europe, is known by the brand-name Monoprost. Thea has a similar product sold in the US market as Iyuzeh.
The survey included patients (n = 1872) who were either treatment-naïve before starting PFL or who were previously treated with a different glaucoma drop before being switched to PFL.1 Study investigators used a visual analog score (VAS), which allowed patients to grade from 0 to 100 on how much they like taking the prescribed drop, explained Dr. Bacharach.
According to the study, 95.3% of patients were satisfied (55.2%) or very satisfied (40.1%) with their PFL treatment, and among those who were previously treated, participants were significantly more satisfied with PFL than their previous treatment.1 Results also demonstrated high satisfaction with the tolerability of PFL (Table 1).
“[If patients] like [their topical medication], that means they're probably going to be more persistent, more adherent to the drop[s],” Dr. Bacharach said. “I love the approach [of being comfort-forward], and I try to implement that as best I can in my clinical practice as well as when I'm working with the residents. I see a lot of overutilization of genericized medicines with a [lot] of benzalkonium chloride hitting every eye. And I wonder, ‘Are these patients taking these drops?’ Probably not.”
Reducing benzalkonium chloride load on the eye may have implications beyond compliance. According to Dr. Baharach, there is data in the literature suggesting preoperative exposure to benzaolkonium chloride is a risk factor for earlier surgical failure.2
“When I do some intervention, whether it's a [selective laser trabeculoplasty] or an angle-based MIGS, and I have a preservative-free drop on board, and I can do it with a monotherapeutic alternative, that's such a home run for the patient,” Dr. Bacharach said.
Dr. Bacharach noted that Monoprost is the number one branded prostaglandin in the European pharmacopoeia, so there is already a lot of data available on this treatment.
“I think the proof's in the pudding. It works well,” he concluded. “My clinical success in the office mirrors what we're talking about and what our colleagues in Europe who've had years of success with this drop have experienced. I'm super thrilled to have it available as an option.”
1. Erb C, Stalmans I, Iliev M, et al. Real-world study on patient satisfaction and tolerability after switching to preservative-free latanoprost. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021;15:931-938.
2. Boimer C, Birt CM. Preservative exposure and surgical outcomes in glaucoma patients: The PESO study. J Glaucoma. 2013;22(9):730-735.
