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Eye Care in Young Children: A Parents' Perspective of Access and Barriers
1Department of Optometry, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Many parents lack awareness of children's vision screening programs and eye care access. Improving information and national protocols for eye exams and glasses costs are needed for better child eye health.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Public Health
- Pediatric Care
Background:
- Access to timely and appropriate eye care is crucial for early detection of vision impairments in children.
- Parental awareness and understanding of available eye care services significantly influence healthcare-seeking behaviors.
- Vision screening programs aim to identify potential eye conditions in young children before they impact development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate parental perspectives on accessing eye care services for children under seven years old.
- To identify barriers faced by parents in obtaining eye care for their young children.
- To assess the relationship between parental knowledge, socioeconomic factors, and access to pediatric eye care.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 2020 to March 2021.
- Online questionnaires were distributed to parents of children aged three to seven years.
- Nonparametric tests were used to analyze the relationship between parental knowledge, barriers, education, and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- Over 1000 parents responded, with 54% having children under seven. Only 39% of children had undergone any vision test.
- A significant majority (65%) were unaware of mandatory vision screening, and only 20% knew how to access eye care.
- Key barriers included pathways to care and the cost of services/glasses, with parental responses influenced by socioeconomic factors.
Conclusions:
- There is a clear need to enhance parental information regarding children's eye care access and available vision screening programs.
- Implementing a national protocol to cover the costs of eye exams and spectacle prescriptions is recommended.
- Addressing parental awareness and financial barriers is essential for improving pediatric eye health outcomes.
Purpose:
To evaluate parental perspectives of accessing eye care for children aged under seven years.
Methods:
The survey was conducted during September 2020 to March 2021 using online applications and distributed to parents whose children were between the ages of three and seven years. The survey included parents' background, their knowledge of the provision of eye-care services, and the possible barriers that existed to access eye-care services. The relationship between parents' knowledge, barrier scores, level of parental education, and demographic or socioeconomic status was assessed using nonparametric tests.
Results:
In total, 1037 questionnaires were completed. The respondents were from 50 cities across Saudi regions. The participants' age was 39 7.5 years, and 54% of them had at least one child under the age of seven (n = 564). Further, 47% had not taken their children for vision screening at reception/year one (n = 467). In addition, 65% of them were not aware of the mandatory screening program at reception/year 1; whereas, only 20% (n = 207) knew how to access eye-care services; and only 39% of the children had undergone any kind of eye or vision test. The pathways to eye care and the cost of eye services/glasses were the main limitations. The parents' responses were significantly influenced by their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (Kruskal Wallis, P 0.05).
Conclusion:
There was a need for enhancing parent information on how to access eye care for young children and the currently available vision screening programs. Finally, a national protocol to cover the cost of the eye exam as well as spectacle prescription shall be proposed as a mean of incentive.
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Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...