Document Type

Dissertation

Disciplines

Ophthalmology

Publication Details

Submitted for the award of MPhil, School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences, Technological University Dublin, 2022.

doi:10.21427/qbt4-nr64

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low plus prescription lenses on Quality of life and visual performance data. As part of the study opinions of optometrists regarding paediatric eye care was also explored. Methods: Each one of the 92 participants, aged between 8 and 12 years, attended for three visits, baseline, at 1 month and 3 months. A quality of life questionnaire was completed at each visit. Optometric probes including dynamic retinoscopy, relative accommodation, fusional reserves and stereopsis as well as reading speed were examined. A survey was sent out electronically to optometrists followed by three focus group discussions regarding paediatric eye care in Ireland. Results: At the beginning of the study all of the participants were symptomatic according to their scores on the College Of Vision Development Quality of Life questionnaire. At the end of the study 74% of them reported a significant reduction in symptoms, along with statistically significant improvements in most of the visual performance functions. The mean prescription prescribed was +0.50DS. It was found that 69% of optometrists surveyed test children. The enablers and inhibitors to testing children were explored in the three focus group discussions. Conclusion: Low plus prescription lenses (+0.50DS in the case of this study) help to reduce symptoms and improve visual performance functions. The fact that 26% still remained symptomatic at three months may indicate increasing the length of the study or supplementing with vision therapy. Limited experience and exposure led to sense of fear as well as commercial and time constraints hindered optometrists from testing children. Refresher courses/ training and a possible post-graduated module in paediatric optometry 3 were broached as possible ways of achieving this with 51.20% saying they would be interested in doing a post-graduate module in paediatric optometry.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/qbt4-nr64

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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