Compliance of spectacle wear and its determinants among schoolchildren of Dhakhiliya region of Oman: A descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of compliance of spectacle wear and some of its determinants among school children of Dhakhiliya region of Oman.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of a sample of 663 students who had been prescribed spectacles for constant wear. After one year, experienced field staff conducted a follow-up visit where 571 of these students were examined. Information on age, gender, type and severity of refractive error was collected from the school health records and refractionist's report and analyzed to associate them to the compliance of spectacle wear.

RESULTS: The majority (71.6%) of students were using spectacles at the time of follow up. The compliance rate was 65.1% in boys and 78.3% in girls. Agewise, it was 66.7% in 6-7-year-olds, 66.7% in 12-13-year-olds and 79.1% in 16-17-year olds. The rate was 72.5% among students with myopia and 67.9% among those with hypermetropia. The compliance of spectacle wear was significantly higher among students with myopic refractive error of 2.5 D or more compared to those with less than 2.5 D. The difference in the compliance rates among students with hypermetropia of different grades was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies the factors of high-risk of non compliance as (a) male gender, (b) younger age, and (c) low myopic refractory error. The eye health care program of Oman should focus on these high risk groups to further improve the compliance for visual aids.