2004N-0221 - Medicare Modernization Act Section 107(f) - Study on Making Prescription Pharmaceutical Information Accessible for Blind and Visually-Impaired Individuals; Establishement of Docket

  


  

  


  

  


  

  


  

  
FDA Comment Number : 
  

  
EC19
  



  

  

  



  

  
Submitter : 
  

  
Mr. Gary Wunder
  

  
Date & Time: 
  

  
07/07/2004 06:07:53
  



  

  
Organization : 
  

  
NFB
  



  

  
Individual Consumer
  


  

  
Category : 
  


  

  
Issue Areas/Comments 
  


  

  



  

  
 B. Information About the Use of Prescription Medication Information By People Who Are Blind or Visually-Impaired

  


  

  


  

  


  

  


  

  


  

  



  

  
2. What aspects of visual impairment are important to addressing the issue of access to prescription drug information? 
  


  

  



  

  
 

Solutions must be tailored to people with many different abilities - braille is fantastic for someone who knows it, bar code readers are fine for people who can hear; tactile labels with distinctive markings are fine for some, but all are better than what we have now which is nothing.

  


  

  


  

  


  

  



  

  
3. How can essential drug information be effectively communicated to people who are blind or visually impaired?
  


  

  



  

  
Braille, Audio, other distinctive tactile markings, differently sized and shaped bottles
  


  

  


  

  
4a. Are there data associating medication errors with blindness? 
  


  

  



  

  
 I have no data but have taken the wrong medication as a result of not labeling items in braille and believing I knew their contents by placement or shape of bottle.

  


  

  


  

  


  

  
1. How do people who are blind and visually-impaired currently get their prescription drug information?
  


  

  



  

  
 I normally have it read by the prescribing physician and then reviewed again by the filling pharmacist. If the prescription is for short-term use, this system is fine, but if this is PRN and I need it six months down the road, even my highly touted memory is put to the challenge. 

  


  

  


  

  


  

  
4c. What types of medication errors are most common among people who are blind or visually impaired?
  


  

  



  

  
 I once used bacteen in my nose believing it was a nost spray - it was effective but painful and what turned out to be a humorous story could have had far different consequences.