Recruitment of patients to a glaucoma drug trial in a district general hospital

We report the difficulties experienced in identifying and recruiting 21 patients with ocular hypertension or primary open-angle galucoma to participate in a clinical trial of two topical beta-blockers. The case-notes of 374 consecutive patients expected to attend routine glaucoma clinics were reviewed to recruit 21 eligible patients who were willing to undergo the drug trial. Recruitment of patients to prospective drug trials may be complicated by a high proportion of exclusions due to ineligibility and also by refusal of otherwise eligible patients.