FREE APP: Launched by the Singapore National Eye Centre, MyEyeDrops is available for free from the App Store and Google Play.
THE MOBILE application comes with videos and pictures to teach users about proper eye care and common eye conditions.
Glaucoma patients who often forget to apply their eye drops can now use a smartphone app to remind them to do so.
Called MyEyeDrops, the app was launched by the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) in February.
It is believed to be the fi rst free app of its kind available on the App Store and Google Play.
The app displays different eye drops with accompanying photos to help glaucoma patients or their caregivers set up and manage different lists of medication.
Users can then set up “appointments” on the go to remind them to apply their eye drops at the right time.
The app also allows users to set up medication lists and appointment reminders for different people, a convenient feature for those who are taking care of more than one patient.
Video clips are included to educate users on proper eye care and inform them about common eye conditions.
Avoiding complications A study of 344 glaucoma patients in 2011 found that 70 per cent of them tend to forget to apply their medication.
This can increase the risk of complications, said Dr Daniel Su, Consultant, Glaucoma Service, SNEC, and co-project leader of the MyEyeDrops app.
The eye drops are meant to relieve eye pressure, which is higher in glaucoma patients.
“If eye pressure remains elevated, it may damage the optic nerve and this can lead to blindness,” said Dr Su.
“So, it is important for patients to apply their eye drops regularly.
Not applying the medication can cause eye pressure to stay high and the risk of blindness remains, or is even increased.
” About half of all glaucoma patients need more than one type of eye drops, so the app’s ability to track the different medication will be a big help to patients and their caregivers, said Dr Jocelyn Chua, Consultant, Glaucoma Service, SNEC, and co-project leader.
Glaucoma patient Mdm Daisy Tan, 66, found the app very useful.
The retiree sometimes forgets to apply her eye drops.
There are also times when she cannot remember which eye she applied the medication to.
“The app acts as my medical diary,” she said.
“I can record details of my eye pressure. It also keeps me updated on my medical appointments.”
MyEyeDrops was developed by SNEC and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) – the IT arm of the Ministry of Health (MOH) – and was co-funded by SNEC and MOH.
MyEyeDrops draws on IHiS and SingHealth’s experience in developing mobile apps for chronic diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and renal conditions.
Genetic risk factors of glaucoma identifi ed Scientists here studying Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG), a leading cause of blindness among Chinese people, have identifi ed three genes that increase the risk of patients developing the condition.
The study shows that someone with all three genetic variants is more likely to have the disease.
Two of the genes regulate fl uid that passes through tissues in the eye, while the function of the third is still unknown.
The three-year study is the world’s fi rst large-scale research on the genetic factors associated with PACG.
More than 20,000 people from seven countries, including 9,300 from Singapore, took part in it.
The disease is the second most common type of glaucoma in the world, and the most common among the Chinese.
It affects 15 million people worldwide, 80 per cent of whom live in Asia.
The study was done in Asia, as PACG is a disease with more implications for Asia.
The fi ndings confi rm a suspicion of Professor Aung Tin, Senior Consultant and Head, Glaucoma Service, Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), and the lead principal investigator of the study.
He has been researching the disease for more than 10 years and believes it is hereditary.
“The study provides further evidence that genetic factors play a role in the development of PACG.
It may lead to new insights, and create the possibility of novel treatments and the early identifi cation of people at risk of the disease,” said Prof Aung, who is also Deputy Executive Director, Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI).
He led the team from SERI, SNEC, the National University of Singapore, the Genome Institute of Singapore, National University Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, as well as hospitals from six other countries.
Their fi ndings were published in Nature Genetics in August last year.
• This story was first published in Singapore Health, May/Jun 2013.