To assess knowledge and attitude of parents toward children suffering from strabismus in Indian subcontinent

Abstract

Purpose:Strabismus and anisometropia are the most common causes of amblyopia. It can be easily prevented or treated if detected early. With the changing socio-cultural-economic milieu of the society, the perspectives of strabismus in society are gradually changing but still adequate knowledge, awareness, and attitude of parents toward strabismus will help in preventing amblyopia and aid in the proper psychosocial adaptation of such children. This study aimed to assess knowledge and attitude of parents toward children suffering from strabismus.Methods:A prospective study was carried out from January 1 to February 29, 2016, through a structured questionnaire to assess the level of knowledge and attitude of parents of children suffering from strabismus.Results:One hundred and twenty parents of children with strabismus were interviewed through a questionnaire. Education level of 78 parents was less than graduation (60%) and of 42 parents (40%) was graduation or higher. The majority of the parents, i.e., 116 (96.67%) were bothered due to strabismus. One hundred and one (84.17%) parents felt that their child's strabismus was noticed by others during interaction. Seventy-four (61.67%) parents felt that their children will have difficulty in making friends. Ninety (75%) parents felt uncomfortable if someone asked something about their child's strabismus. One hundred and ten (91.67%) parents considered strabismus as cosmetic stigma.Conclusion:Some parents, especially from the lower educated segment, had poor understanding of strabismus, thus resulting in late presentation and ineffective countermeasures. The key to prevent strabismic amblyopia and its psychosocial impacts is to provide health education regarding strabismus.

Knowledge towards Strabismus and Associated Factors among Adults in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

“…is may be due to the difference in the study population who were agrarian and rural dwellers, which made them less aware of strabismus. However, this finding was lower than a study conducted in Jeddah (60-79%), India (94.7%), and Saudi (66.7%) [21,22,27]. is is due to the difference in the study setting since these studies were hospital-based.…”

“…Studies conducted in different regions of the world showed that there is a knowledge gap about strabismus. In India, 94.7% of participants had knew the consequence of strabismus [21], in Jeddah, 75% of participants knew etiologies [22], in Nigeria, 50% of participants did not know strabismus [23], and in Ethiopia, only 37.2% knew the cause of strabismus [9]. ere were studies conducted on the prevalence and psychological effects of strabismus.…”

Awareness, Perceptions and Knowledge of Strabismus among Pediatrics and Ophthalmology Clinics Attendees in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah

“…This might eventually lead to multiple negative effects on the quality of life of the parents. [17] Regarding strabismus treatment dimension in the present study, participants' perceptions were modestly directed towards wearing glasses and surgical approaches rather than eye muscle exercise. Surgical treatment (24.8%) and medical therapy (20.2%) were reported as the prevalent perceived treatment options in another study.…”

“…This was typically consistent with another study in India where both relatives and the internet were the reliable sources of knowledge although Section: Ophthalmology most of the participating parents (60%) had low educational levels. [17] An early study in London has shown that the verbal information provided by the ophthalmologists had a superior role in providing adequate knowledge to the parents rather than those acquired from family support discussions and the internet. [29] However, the substantial increase in internet usage along with the expanding role of social media might represent a vital source of information.…”

“…[16] Furthermore, untreated strabismus may lead to several other negative functional and cosmetic outcomes, resulting in psychosocial aspects such as deterioration of the child's self-confidence and social interaction with a significant deterioration of both child's and parent's quality of life. [17] Therefore, insufficient parental knowledge, lack of information, and misconception about strabismus may impact the age of child's presentation to the eye specialist and subsequently the proposed managemental plan as well as its prognosis. There has been a great variation of those parameters from country to another and even from place to place within the same country.…”