Factors Associated With Non-compliance with Spectacle Wear in an Adult Nigerian Population

Abstract

This study aims to determine the degree of compliance of patients with spectacle wear and the factors associated with non-compliance. A total number of one hundred patients were selected and interviewed by the author for correspondence and two assistants. With the aid of semi-structured questionnaires, the information sought after collecting bio-data, included respondents’ duration of spectacle correction and how often they wore their pair of spectacles. Those who wore their pair of spectacles at all times for the intended purpose for which the glass was prescribed such as distance vision, near (reading) vision, or both, were regarded as using it “always”. Those who wore theirs to a lesser degree but for more than 50% of times were regarded as using it “often”. The “occasional” wearers were those who used it for less than 50% of the times. Each respondent was also asked to identify the possible factors associated with non-compliance with spectacle wear. Majority (71%) used their spectacle occasionally while the remaining few (29%) used it often. The reasons cited for not complying with spectacle correction were lack of felt need (58%), spectacle intolerance (28%) and ignorance (14%). Majority of respondents wore their glasses only occasionally. The reasons for not complying fully with spectacle correction were lack of felt need which might have cultural underpinnings, spectacle intolerance, and ignorance of the attendant dangers of not seeing clearly while not wearing their pairs of glasses. Appropriate health education and improvement in optical infrastructures will assist in remedying the poor compliance culture with the wearing of glasses in Nigeria.

Keywords: - Spectacle wear, refractive error.