Non-compliance for wearing spectacles: Prevalence and determinants in school-going children in South India

PURPOSE: To study the prevalence and determinants of compliance with spectacle wear among school-age children in South India who were given spectacles free of charge under a school vision screening program. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed. The participants were recruited from the school from Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu, where a school vision screening camp was conducted between January 2012 and October 2012. The school screening was performed under “Lavelle Pediatric Eye Care Project”. Of the 129,720 children examined of 249 schools, 4253 of children had refractive error and 3333 were prescribed and dispensed spectacles. A total of 683 children were interviewed, who were not wearing glasses on follow-up. RESULTS: About 20% of the participants (683/3333) were not wearing their spectacles at examination. The most common reasons given for non-wear were lost (44.9%) or broken (35.3%) spectacles. There was no gender preference on compliance to spectacles. CONCLUSION: Compliance with spectacle wear is less even when spectacles are provided free of cost, particularly in children among the age group of 5–15 years. Because factors such as type of school, area (urban or rural), parent’s income, occupation, and their education were not significantly affecting the compliance of spectacle wear, proper encouragement and counseling of the parents and the child become extremely important.