ABSTRACT
One of the main global causes of preventive vision impairment is refractive errors. Spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery are the measures used to correct refractive errors, but the easiest and commonest method of correcting refractive errors is through spectacle lenses , spectacles are the most frequently used option for the correction of refractive errors, to achieve these, patients must exhibit good compliance to spectacle wear because patient's attitude and perception of glasses could affect compliance to spectacle wear. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitude and belief of students in the Faculties of Life and Physical sciences to the use of spectacle lenses for the correction of refractive errors. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the University of Benin using questionnaire ,a total of 216 participants were used for the study of which 109 (50.4%) were males and 107 (49.5%) were females, their ages ranged from 18 -30 years ( mean age, 22.25 ± 2.991), the data from this study was analyzed using SPSS 22.0, chi-spuare was used to test the association between gender and the attitude and belief of participants towards the use of spectacle lenses, the association of statistical significance was taken as P< 0.05. In assessing gender difference on the attitude and belief of the respondents towards spectacle lenses, Pearson chi square analysis showed statistically significant difference between sex and the participants response ; spectacle lenses can cause the eyes to be pushed in ?(P=0.030), do you see people who wear spectacle lenses as visually impaired ?(P=0.019) , do you think spectacle lenses can relieve different forms of discomfort like headache, tearing and burning sensation?(P=0.014),95% of the participants had adequate knowledge about spectacle lenses, 93% believed they would wear spectacle lenses if prescribed by a professional. 64% reported that the aesthetic of the spectacle lens would influence their choice to wear it , 48% saw people who wore spectacle lenses as visually impaired , 43% saw spectacle lenses as an inconvenience, 59% believed that spectacle lenses could ease several types of discomfort such as headache, tearing and burning sensation. The study's conclusion affirms the necessity of education campaigns on the use of spectacle lenses and the importance of early screenings to detect uncorrected refractive errors.
KEYWORDS: Refractive errors, Myopia , Hyperopia , Astigmatism , Spectacle lenses.
