Relation between grade and gender and reasons for spectacle non-compliance among school aged children

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the self-reported reasons for spectacle non-compliance among 6th thru 11th grade students and to determine if reasons for non-compliance varied by grade or gender.

Methods: Subjects were 6-11th grade students (53% female) enrolled in a longitudinal study on refractive error. The majority of students were members of a Native American tribe with a high prevalence of astigmatism. Students received an eye examination during the 2010/11 school year and were provided eyeglasses free of charge. During the next school year, students received a follow-up exam and new eyeglasses. At the time of dispensing, they completed a compliance survey. This survey includes 4 Likert scale items regarding frequency of spectacle use and 12 true/false items regarding specific reasons for not wearing spectacles. Descriptive statistics and chi square were used to analyze the data.

Results: Of the 175 students that completed the survey 79 (45%) reported that they always wear their glasses. Among those who reported that they do not always wear their glasses, the most common reasons reported were “only wear glasses when I feel like I need them” (71%), “glasses are broken, scratched or lost” (69%) and “take them off when I go out to play so they don’t get broken” (65%). Least common reasons were “glasses make things look distorted, blurry or funny” (12%), “teased when I wear the glasses” (17%) and “worry that glasses will make my eyes ‘weak’ or ‘worse’” (21%). Girls were significantly more likely than boys to report that they did not wear their glasses due to “worry that glasses will make my eyes ‘weak’ or ‘worse’” (p=0.05) and boys were significantly more likely than girls to report that they did not wear their glasses because they “take them off when I go out to play so they don’t get broken” (p=0.04). The percentage of students who reported that they did not wear their glasses due to appearance significantly differed by grade (p=0.03).

Conclusions: Reasons for spectacle non-compliance differ by age and gender. Further studies are needed to determine if age and gender specific interventions may be necessary.

Keywords: 428 astigmatism • 466 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled clinical trials • 757 visual development: infancy and childhood