An Insight into Knowledge, Perspective, and Practices of Indian Optometrists towards Childhood Myopia

Archana Naik, Siddharth K. Karthikeyan, Jivitha Jyothi Ramesh, Shwetha Bhaskar, Chinnappa A. Ganapathi, Sayantan Biswas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The current understanding of clinical approaches and barriers in managing childhood myopia among Indian optometrists is limited. This research underscores the necessity and relevance of evidence-based practice guidelines by exploring their knowledge, attitude, and practice towards childhood myopia. A self-administered internet-based 26-item survey was circulated online among practicing optometrists in India. The questions assessed the demographics, knowledge, self-reported clinical practice behavior, barriers, source of information guiding their management, and extent of adult caregiver engagement for childhood myopia. Of 393 responses, a significant proportion of respondents (32.6–92.4%) were unaware of the ocular complications associated with high myopia, with less than half (46.5%) routinely performing ocular biometry in clinical practice. Despite the growing awareness of emerging myopia management options, the uptake remains generally poor, with single-vision distance full-correction spectacles (70.3%) being the most common mode of vision correction. Barriers to adopting optimal myopia care are medicolegal concerns, absence of clinical practice guidelines, and inadequate consultation time. Own clinical experience and original research articles were the primary sources of information supporting clinical practice. Most (>70%) respondents considered involving the adult caregiver in their child’s clinical decision-making process. While practitioners’ awareness and activity of newer myopia management strategies are improving, there is plenty of scope for its enhancement. The importance of evidence-based practice guidelines and continuing education on myopia control might help practitioners enhance their clinical decision-making skills.
Original languageEnglish
Article number22
Number of pages19
JournalVision
Volume8
Issue number2
Early online date16 Apr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Data Access Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request.

Keywords

  • childhood myopia
  • myopia complications
  • myopia control
  • optometric practice
  • barriers
  • myopia management
  • clinical decision-making
  • survey

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