DR. NEELAM PAWAR

DR. MEENAKSHI RAVINDRAN

Abstract

Purpose:To study the prevalence and determinants of compliance with spectacle wear among school-age children in South India.Methods The school vision screening camp was conducted between Jan2012 and Oct2012. Of the 129720 children examined of 249 schools, 4253 of children had refractive error and 3333 were prescribed and dispensed spectacles.648 were interviewed. Results: Two thirds of the participants (648/3333) were not wearing their spectacles at examination. The most common reasons given for non-wear were lost (44.9%) or broken (35.3%) spectacles.Conclusion: Compliance with spectacle wear is less even when spectacles are provided free of cost, particularly in children among the age group 5-15 years. Factors like type of school, area (urban or rural),parent’s income, occupation and their education were not significantly affecting compliance.