The Design and Development of an Eye Drop Aid for Glaucoma Patients

Abstract

Visual impairment is an important public health problem. A cataract is the most common eye disease, and surgical methods are mostly used. Unlike a cataract, glaucoma may lead to permanent loss of vision and can be treated appropriately using eye drops. In this study, the researchers aimed to create, design, and develop a device called “Eye Drop Aid of Naresuan University (EDANU).” This research employed mixed methods using an in-depth interview and questionnaire, which were conducted with a group of 10 experts to provide preliminary data for the design and a group of 20 volunteers to test the efficacy and safety of the EDANU compared with the instructions of the Xal-Ease™ eye drop administration and instructions as recommended by the Pharmacy Council of Thailand in the laboratory. It was found that the EDANU, which was designed and developed as a prototype using thermoplastic polyurethane, which is a highly flexible material, was more accurate, reliable, and safer than the Xal-Ease eye drop administration. The EDANU displayed efficient statistical significance and proved to be safe for using in the laboratory.This was a device that could help glaucoma patients and their caregivers have a better quality of life because this device was more accurate, reliable, and safer than the other two methods. However, the EDANU is still in the process of prototype development, and, in the future, it would still be necessary to study with a human clinical trial.