Glaucoma medication adherence and associated factors among adult glaucoma patients in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundGlaucoma medications are one important pillar of glaucoma management to control intraocular pressure. If left uncontrolled, intraocular pressure causes progressive visual loss and blindness. Thus, adherence to glaucoma medication is vital to prevent optic nerve damage and its consequences. This study was conducted to systematically summarize the magnitude of glaucoma medication adherence and the associated factors among adults with glaucoma in Ethiopia. MethodsDatabase Searches to identify research articles was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, AJOL, SCOPUS, and Google scholar without restriction on the date of publication. Data extraction was done using a data extraction Excel sheet. Analysis was performed using STATA version 16. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics. Pooled prevalence and pooled odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval using a random effect model were computed. ResultWe included 6 studies with a total of 2101 participants for the meta-analysis. The magnitude of adherence to glaucoma medication was found to be 49.46% (95% CI [41.27-57.66]). Urban residence (OR=1.89, 95% CI; 1.29-2.49), normal visual acuity (OR=2.82, 95% CI; 0.85-4.80, P=0.01), and payment means for medication (OR=0.22, 95% CI; 0.09-0.34) were found to be statistically significant predictors of adherence. ConclusionThe magnitude of glaucoma medication adherence is lower than expected. Place of residence, visual acuity, and payment means had statistically significant associations with glaucoma medication adherence. Tailored health education on medication adherence and subsidization of glaucoma medication is recommended.