Self-medicating is never easy. Even less so when the affected area is the eyes! Applying ophthalmic ointments, and more generally ocular medicines, requires precision, delicacy and safety. It only takes a little – an unsteady hand, an incorrect application, a badly calibrated dose – to turn an everyday gesture into a source of frustration or, worse, an obstacle to continued therapy.
In many cases, motor, visual or cognitive difficulties make this task even more complex. And when the user cannot manage alone, the responsibility falls on family members or non-professional caregivers, often without adequate tools or clear indications. The result? Stress, insecurity, mistakes and sometimes the abandonment of therapy.
There is another aspect, often underestimated, that directly affects therapeutic efficacy: the primary packaging of the drug. If designed without considering the real limitations and needs of the end user, even the best active ingredient risks failure. This is precisely where a paradigm shift in the world of pharmaceutical administration comes from: the move from a product-centred approach to a person-centred one.
And in the ophthalmic sector, where precision and ease of use are crucial, this change can make a real difference.
Why is it so difficult to administer an eye medicine?
A 2018 study examined the adherence to treatment of glaucoma patients: it was found that up to 80% of patients inadvertently touch their eyes or face with the eye drops bottle (contaminating it); up to 60.6% of patients do not instil the drop properly, thus taking less medication than necessary; up to 37.3%, moreover, miss the ‘aim’ at all and fail to hit the eye. A considerable problem, especially when one considers that in most ophthalmological therapies, consistency is the key.
Applying an ophthalmic ointment or local eye treatment involves a number of technical and psychological challenges, especially when it has to be done alone. Holding the container with one hand, lifting the eyelid with the other, dosing the product correctly and avoiding direct contact with the eye: an operation that requires coordination, steadiness, precision. But not everyone can do it easily: patients made frail by old age or diseases that affect motor coordination may experience greater difficulties. Both the correct dosage and application are affected, with a direct impact on the effectiveness of treatment.
In the absence of a user-centred design, the risk is twofold: on the one hand, the treatment is ineffective, on the other hand, the sense of frustration grows, which may lead to the discontinuation of therapy.
This is why a broader and more innovative vision of packaging has been emerging in recent years: ‘patient-centred drug delivery‘, in which even primary packaging is considered a crucial element of therapeutic success. This is a considerable change of pace: in the pharmaceutical sector, there is a tendency to focus efforts on the active ingredient and its clinical efficacy, sometimes neglecting the role of the drug delivery technique in the treatment pathway.
In the case of ophthalmic drugs, this concept is even more evident. According to the World Health Organisation, up to 50 per cent of chronic patients in developed countries do not follow prescribed therapies correctly. A percentage that increases when administration requires complex or repeated actions, as in the case of eye treatments. In this scenario, packaging is no longer a simple container, but an active ally in the therapeutic process.
Functional packaging: a necessary paradigm shift
The design of pharmaceutical packaging must also take into account the logic of production efficiency, but without this overshadowing the end-user experience.
The challenge is therefore to find a compromise between the concept of patient-centred drug delivery and the industrialisation of the product. To truly meet the needs of the end user, it is indeed necessary to rethink packaging design in a functional and inclusive way.
An ophthalmic delivery device must:
- Be easy to use, even with weak hands, tremors or reduced dexterity.
- Ensure precise dispensing to avoid wastage or overdosing.
- Minimising contact with the eye, increasing hygienic safety and reducing the risk of injury.
- Be understandable and intuitive in its use, even for those without medical or pharmaceutical training.
- Be designed for industrially scalable production to meet market needs in terms of timing and cost.
When packaging meets these requirements, therapy becomes more accessible, therapeutic adherence improves and the emotional burden of those who have to manage it every day is reduced.
The solution: the Perfektüp tube with ophthalmic soft nozzle
With this in mind, Tubettificio Perfektüp has come up with a solution: an Aluminium tube with a soft nozzle. An innovative pharmaceutical packaging combining the virtues of Aluminium, well known in Pharma, with a standard nozzle made of a double material, with a hard base and an ultra-soft tip, to reduce the risk of injury in case of contact with the eye.
The real strength? Despite the complexity of the design, and the challenge of the dual material, the nozzle is manufactured in one fast production cycle. This is an industrially sustainable solution, ideal for large-scale production and conforms to the high standards of the pharmaceutical industry, especially ophthalmic use.
The design of the tube addresses all the critical issues highlighted in the ocular self-medication pathway:
- Soft nozzle: reduces the risk of accidental irritation or injury, improving comfort and safety.
- Controlled dispensing: the tube allows more precise dosing, avoiding wastage and overdosing.
- Easy and light to handle: Aluminium’s light and soft construction is easy to use even for those with reduced hand strength.
- Protection of the active ingredient: Aluminium provides a total barrier against light and oxygen, preserving the stability of the drug.
Tubettificio Perfektüp: packaging that really makes a difference
When we talk about accessibility and therapeutic adherence, we cannot limit ourselves to the content: the container is also part of the treatment. Packaging designed around the real needs of the user can turn the administration of medication into a simple, safe and everyday gesture, instead of an obstacle.
Perfektüp’s Aluminium tube with a soft ophthalmic nozzle is a concrete example of human-centred innovation: a solution that not only preserves the contents, but also enables their correct use, facilitating patient autonomy and reducing the margin for error, even in fragile contexts.
Find out more about the Aluminium tube with ophthalmic nozzle from Tubettificio Perfektüp and contact us to discuss further: we will be happy to support you in your packaging strategies and send you a sample tube.
