Attitude toward refractive error surgery and other correction methods: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Refractive errors are the most common vision problem and prove to be a significant health issue. There are several methods for correction of refractive errors including spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery. Nowadays, the reliance on contact lenses and glasses is decreased by means of refractive eye surgery. Our study aimed to determine the awareness of refractive surgery among undergraduate medical students and their preferred method of refractive error correction. Method This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted among a sample size of 374 medical students at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in June–August 2020. Data were collected through a questionnaire which consisted of 20 questions to assess the demographics, awareness about refractive surgery and preferred method of correction. The data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2016 and analyzed by SPSS version 21. Results Our results showed that 177 of participants had refractive errors. Most participants complained of myopia (66.7%) and the most preferred correction method was spectacles (45.8%). Among users of spectacles, 53.7% found the spectacles comfortable due to ease of use. Majority of the students (92.1%) were aware of refractive surgery and 73% of them were willing to undergo refractive surgery. Many obtained their information regarding these procedures from family and friends (55.1%). The remaining refused to undergo surgery and the primary reason was fear of the complications of the procedure (14.1%). Conclusion Though corrective refractive surgery is a commonly performed procedure, extensive knowledge regarding this correction method and its complications is poor among medical students. The results showed that the majority have heard of refractive surgery, however, fear of undergoing surgery was still present. We suggest that refractive error correction surgery be taught by physicians during Ophthalmology rotations so that knowledge may be gained from more reliable sources.

Preference and attitude towards refractive errors correction methods among Qassim University students

“…The cosmetic purpose and comfortable effect were the main reasons for state of comfortable using contact lenses. Our results were slightly similar to the results of previous study which showed that more than half of the students found glasses comfortable where the main reason was ease of use while the main cause for glasses discomfort was their limiting effect on daily activity, being not aesthetically pleasing and required more maintenance (Alhibshi et al, 2021). Moreover, another study done in Saudi Arabia showed that most of the participants believed that glasses are easily accessible and increased their quality of life (Alghamdi et al, 2019).…”

“…The prevalence of having refractive surgery reported in this study was similar to what reported by previous studies (Alghamdi et al, 2019;Alhibshi et al, 2021). The low rate of performing refractive surgeries among our population could be related to the high cost of the surgery where 42.9% of those participants reported not welling to undergo the operation reported the cost as the barrier for not performing the surgery as well as fear from complications and fear from need for spectacles after the surgery.…”

Evaluation of awareness about corneal refractive surgery to correct refractive error in a sample of Syrian private university students

“…Compared to the results of the Saudi study, fear of complications was the most reason preventing them from undergoing surgery. [4] It is interesting that the majority of students considered that the complications from this surgery were minor (50.5%) and not serious.…”

“…However, about 38.4% of the students in our study were willing to undergo corneal refractive surgery which is similar to the study in India at 36.6%, and less than the rate of readiness of undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia for the surgery at 69.5%. [4] Those who did not nd themselves ready to undergo refractive surgery stated that the main obstacle was the lack of information about the procedure (39%). These ndings herald a gap in knowledge about corneal refractive surgery.…”

Effect of combined use of orthokeratology and atropine eye drops on correction of myopia in young children, and its influencing factors

“…Surgery is a familiar treatment for myopia, but it has certain requirements for patients' conditions. Some patients may have sequelae such as dry eye, keratitis or vision regression after operation [5]. Orthokeratology is an effective way of delaying the development of myopia [6].…”