Knowledge and beliefs associated with refractive errors and undercorrection: the Singapore Malay Eye Study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Health Beliefs

Background:

• Refractive errors, especially undercorrected ones, are a significant cause of vision impairment, particularly in Asia.
• Population-based data on refractive error knowledge and beliefs in Singapore are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the knowledge and beliefs regarding refractive errors and the impact of undercorrection in an adult Malay population in Singapore.
• To compare health beliefs between undercorrected and corrected refractive error groups.

Main Methods:

• A substudy of 503 adults with refractive error from a larger population-based survey (3280 adults aged 40-80) in Singapore.
• Utilized the Health Belief Model to develop a questionnaire assessing health beliefs towards refractive error correction.
• Compared responses between undercorrected and corrected refractive error groups.

Main Results:

• Awareness was high for myopia (79.5%) and hyperopia (79.2%) but low for astigmatism (7.7%).
• Adults who had never visited an eye-care specialist were less likely to know about astigmatism and their refractive error.
• Undercorrected individuals were more likely to be female and not wear spectacles, with significantly lower knowledge of astigmatism and refractive errors.

Conclusions:

• Lack of knowledge and awareness regarding refractive errors are significant risk factors for undercorrected refractive error.
• Targeted health education may improve refractive error correction and reduce vision impairment in urban Singapore populations.