Clinical Ophthalmology

Adherence in Eye Care: Determinants, Clinical Impact, and Strategies for Improvement

Poor adherence remains one of the most persistent and costly barriers to optimal outcomes in eye care. Across ophthalmic and optometric practice, even the most effective interventions fail when patients do not follow them as prescribed. In glaucoma, suboptimal use of topical hypotensive therapy accelerates irreversible visual field loss and contributes to preventable blindness. In childhood amblyopia, incomplete adherence to patching, atropine penalization, or binocular digital therapies undermines recovery during the critical period. Inconsistent spectacle wear compromises refractive correction in children and adults, while poor adherence to contact lens hygiene, dry eye regimens, post-operative medications, and follow-up care carries consequences ranging from reduced efficacy to sight-threatening complications.

Despite its importance, adherence in eye care is often under-measured and inconsistently defined, with self-report frequently overestimating true behavior. Its determinants are multifactorial, spanning patient, condition, therapy, socioeconomic, and health-system factors. At the same time, emerging solutions such as electronic monitoring, smart delivery and wearable systems, gamified digital therapeutics, behavioral interventions, and mobile health reminders offer promising avenues for measuring and improving adherence in real-world settings.

This Article Collection welcomes original research, reviews, and expert perspectives on adherence across all domains of eye care, including (but not limited to):

• Adherence prevalence, measurement, and predictors
• The clinical and economic impact of non-adherence
• Adherence in pediatric populations
• Medication adherence in glaucoma and other chronic ocular diseases
• Technological and digital innovations
• Behavioral, educational, and health-system interventions

Contributions from diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts, and interdisciplinary work bridging ophthalmology, optometry, behavioral science, and health informatics, are particularly encouraged.

Submission Instructions:

During submission (in step 2 "About paper"), you will see a question asking "Are you interested in submitting to an article collection?" Please select the radio dial for "Yes". Then select "Adherence in Eye Care: Determinants, Clinical Impact, and Strategies for Improvement" from the drop down menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo full peer review; Guest Advisors will not be handling submitted articles. Please review the journal’s aims and scope and author submission instructions prior to submission. Standard Article Publishing Charges apply.

Authors interested in the responsible use of AI should review Taylor & Francis's AI policies.

If you have any questions about this Article Collection, please contact Krista Thom at Krista.Thom@taylorandfrancis.com.

Guest Advisor:

Dr. Saeed Aljohani is an Associate Professor of Optometry at the College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, where he serves as an Associate Professor in Behavioral and Pediatric Optometry. He earned his Ph.D. in Behavioral and Pediatric Optometry and Master of Health Science from Salus University, USA, following his Doctor of Optometry degree from Qassim University. His research centers on childhood amblyopia and treatment adherence, alongside broader work in binocular vision, ocular surface disease, and occupational visual health in Saudi Arabian populations. He holds a granted Saudi patent for motivational glasses to treat amblyopia in children, with two further patents under evaluation for adherence-monitoring eye patch and therapeutic eyewear verification systems. His work bridges clinical research and technological innovation, with a particular focus on developing and validating practical strategies to improve treatment adherence in pediatric eye care.

Disclosure Statement: Dr. Aljohani has no conflicts of interest to disclose.