MyEyeDrops App helps Glaucoma patients and caregivers to “put the right drops in the right eye, at the right time”. The FREE app works with Android phones and Apple iPhones.
MyEyeDrops App is available FREE for Android phones on Google Play and Apple iPhones on the App Store.
Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) has launched what is believed to be Singapore’s and the world’s first free Glaucoma Eye Care App – MyEyeDrops.
Medications with pictures included.
Available from Google Play and the Apple App Store, the app takes away the hassle of remembering to apply eye drops at regular intervals throughout each day for patients for Glaucoma patients.
Elevated eye pressure is one of the main risk factor of glaucoma.
Regular compliance with the use of eye drops in controlling the eye pressure is critical to prevent deterioration of the disease condition which can lead to permanent loss of vision.
With this app, forgetting to apply eye drops will be a thing of the past.
In a cross-sectional population survey conducted in Singapore, the prevalence of glaucoma was found to be 3.2% in those 40 years and older.
Glaucoma, a blinding eye condition
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and affects an estimated 80 million people.
This chronic eye condition is also the leading cause of blindness in Singapore, accounting for 34% of those who are blind in at least one eye.
This prevalence is set to increase with age and thus is a pertinent healthcare concern with the aging population in Singapore.
At SNEC alone, 40,000 outpatient visits are managed at the glaucoma specialist clinics each year.
However, the compliance rate among glaucoma patients was found to be poor, with 70.6% of them having a tendency to miss their medications.
The glaucoma mobile app was developed by SNEC and IHiS, the IT arm of Ministry of Health, and co-funded by SNEC and MOH.
Developed specially with the practical needs of glaucoma patients and their caregivers in mind, the app’s functionalities include pre-set reminders coupled with actual photos of the eye drops bottles for easy identification to help users apply multiple eye drops medication on-the-go throughout the day.
It also provides useful reminders for medical appointments or when the eye drops will be running out plus calendar of educational eye talks.
There is even a medical diary for them to input any medical history such as drug allergy.
MyEyeDrops provides patients with:
- Reminder alerts to apply their eye drops. This is critical to good glaucoma care.
- “A medication compliance audit, which was performed on 275 patients during the period of November 2011 to September 2012, showed that about 20% of patients were still not using their medications regularly despite glaucoma counselling,” said Dr Jocelyn Chua, Consultant Glaucoma Service, SNEC and co-project leader.Clear information at their finger tips – anytime anywhere – on their medication and dosages, allergies, with videos on how to correctly apply the eye drops.
- Guides on what to do before and after undergoing glaucoma procedures.
- A medical diary – a convenient way for patients to record important events in their disease to discuss with their doctor. It also provides a motivating track record of their management of their glaucoma.
- Information on the disease, treatment options and expected clinical outcomes.
- Direct call function to SNEC, to make or change appointments, and top up medication.
- A link to IHiS miHealthcare mobile app, to make or change SNEC clinic appointments.
Tags: Android, Apple, Apps, Google, IHiS, iPhone, SERI, SNEC, software