Research: 76% of older people continue to struggle with eye drops despite existing aids
Research by Oculoo among 230 older eye drop users shows that 76% continue to struggle with instilling eye drops independently, despite the existence of aids such as the drop glasses and the Eyot eye drop aid. The biggest problems are aiming the bottle correctly, squeezing hard enough, trembling hands and performing several actions at the same time. The Oculoo eye drop glasses were developed to make the entire action easier: positioning the bottle, providing stability and supporting the squeezing.
Older people increasingly have to instil eye drops themselves, but existing aids do not yet fully solve the problem
Instilling eye drops seems simple. Yet for many older people it turns out to be a daily challenge. The head has to tilt back, the bottle has to be held precisely above the eye, the eye has to stay open and at the same time enough force must be applied to get a single drop out of the bottle.
Research by Oculoo among 230 older eye drop users shows that 76% continue to struggle with instilling eye drops independently, despite the existence of aids such as the drop glasses and the Eyot eye drop aid.
That is an important signal. Healthcare expects ever more self-reliance from older people, while a large part of the target group still cannot manage well with existing solutions.
The main obstacles from the research are:
Research by Oculoo shows that older people mainly get stuck on three elements: aiming, squeezing and stability. It is precisely that combination that makes instilling eye drops independently difficult.
1. Aiming the bottle correctly above the eye
Around 60% of the older people surveyed say they have difficulty aiming the bottle correctly above the eye. As a result, the drop does not always end up in the eye, but for example on the eyelid, the eyelashes or the cheek.
Existing aids such as the drop glasses and the Eyot mainly help on this point. They support positioning the bottle. That is valuable, but it does not solve the entire action.
2. Being able to squeeze hard enough
Around 55% of the respondents have difficulty pressing the eye drop bottle. For older people with less hand strength, osteoarthritis, rheumatism or stiff fingers, it can be hard to get exactly one drop out of the bottle.
This is an important bottleneck, because many existing aids mainly help with aiming, but hardly or not at all with squeezing. The bottle may then sit well above the eye, while the user still has trouble getting the drop out.
3. Trembling hands and insufficient stability
About 40% of older people mention trembling or moving hands as a problem. When instilling eye drops, the bottle has to stay steady above the eye, while the user must at the same time look, keep the eye open and squeeze.
For many older people that combination is too complex. That is why stability while instilling is at least as important as positioning the bottle correctly.
Why this matters
These figures show that instilling eye drops independently is not only about aiming. A good aid must support the entire action: aiming, stabilising and squeezing.
That explains why 76% of the older people surveyed continue to struggle with instilling eye drops independently, despite the existence of aids.
Oculoo was developed for the entire action
The Oculoo eye drop glasses were developed from exactly this insight. Oculoo not only helps position the bottle above the eye, but also supports stability and controlled squeezing.
In this way Oculoo focuses on the entire action of instilling eye drops independently. Not only better aiming, but also easier, steadier and more controlled instilling.
The Oculoo eye drop glasses were developed for everyone who uses eye drops and wants to make this easier. For older people, people with trembling hands or users with less squeezing strength, that support can be extra valuable, but the aim is broader: making instilling eye drops easier for everyone.