Awareness and Attitude toward Refractive Error Correction Methods: A Population Based Study in Mashhad

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Objectives: This study was designed to determine the level of awareness and attitude toward refractive correction methods in a randomly selected population in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods: A random cluster sampling method was applied to choose 193 subjects aged 12 years and above from Mashhad population. A structured questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was designed to gather the participantsʹ demographic data such as: gender, age, educational status and occupation, as well as their awareness and attitude toward refractive correction methods (Spectacles, Contact lenses and Refractive surgery). Results:  In overall, 39% of the participants had a clear perception of ʹophthalmologistʹ and ʹoptometristʹ terms. 80.3%, 87% and 71% of respondents had no information of contact lens application instead of spectacles, cosmetic contact lenses and contact lenses with both refractive correction and cosmetic properties, respectively. 82.5% of participants were not aware of the possibility of refractive surgery for improving their eyesight and decreasing their dependency on spectacles. Awareness about contact lenses and refractive surgery’s adverse effects were only 16% and 8%, respectively. Conclusion: Awareness and perception of refractive correction methods was low among the participants of this study. Although, ophthalmologists were the first source of consultation on sight impairments among respondents, a predominant percentage of subjects were not even aware of obvious differences between an ophthalmologist and an optometrist. These findings emphasize the necessity for proper public education on ophthalmic care and the available services, specially the new correction methods for improvement of quality of life.