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Patient Preferences and Satisfaction With Refractive Error Correction Methods: A Cross-Sectional Study
Ithar M Beshtawi1, Shorooq Faqarah1, Heba Abdul-Fatah1
1Optometry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, PSE.
Purpose:
Uncorrected refractive error (RE) is a leading cause of visual impairment. Correction through glasses, contact lenses (CL), or refractive surgery (RS) is crucial to prevent functional and quality-of-life limitations. This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the patient preferences regarding the correction methods.
Materials And Methods:
A cross-sectional study was employed, including 451 patients (346 females; mean age: 24.30 ± 6.2 years) with RE corrected by either glasses, CL, or RS. A structured questionnaire was used that included demographics, clinical characteristics, preferences, and satisfaction.
Results:
The demographics and the extent of refractive error significantly influenced the selection of correction methods (p = 0.00). Professional recommendations (66.0%) and cost considerations (47.1%) are the main motivations for acquiring spectacles. They avoided CL due to side effects (69.9%) and maintenance difficulties (54.9%). In the CL groups, the primary motivation was cosmesis (82.2%, p > 0.05), while they avoided glasses due to inconvenience (59.6%). Neither group chose RS due to associated side effects (45.8% and 55.5%, respectively) and insufficient information regarding the procedure (39.2% and 47.9%, respectively). The primary motivations for RS are the inconvenience associated with glasses and CLs (73.3%) and aesthetic concerns (67.1%). They avoided spectacles due to inconvenience (70.4%) and unsatisfactory cosmetics (67.8%), whereas CLs were avoided due to concerns about potential side effects (67.1%) and maintenance challenges (68.4%). The RS group exhibited a significantly (P<0.001) higher satisfaction rate at 88.8%, compared to the glasses group at 71.9% and the CL group at 63.0%. Discomfort (30.1%) and cosmesis (29.4%) significantly influenced dissatisfaction with glasses (p = 0.00). Related side effects (60.3%), limitations during swimming (56.2%), maintenance difficulties (43.2%), and cost (15.1%) significantly influenced dissatisfaction with CL (p = 0.00).
Conclusion:
Based on self-reported satisfaction scores, RS users expressed the highest levels of satisfaction, followed by CL and spectacle users. Patient preferences appeared to be influenced by cost, comfort, and cosmetic concerns.
