Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective
Amblyopia is a reduced best-corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes that cannot be attributed to a structural abnormality; it is a functional reduction in the vision of an eye caused by disuse during a critical period of visual development. It is considered the leading cause of visual defects in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/10/935 |
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| author | Alhanouf Alatawi Naif Alali Abrar Alamrani Faris Hashem Seham Alhemaidi Shaker Alreshidi Hani Albalawi |
| author_facet | Alhanouf Alatawi Naif Alali Abrar Alamrani Faris Hashem Seham Alhemaidi Shaker Alreshidi Hani Albalawi |
| author_sort | Alhanouf Alatawi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Amblyopia is a reduced best-corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes that cannot be attributed to a structural abnormality; it is a functional reduction in the vision of an eye caused by disuse during a critical period of visual development. It is considered the leading cause of visual defects in children. With early diagnosis and treatment, children with amblyopia can significantly improve their vision. However, if it is neglected and not treated during childhood, unfortunately, it permanently decreases vision. Therefore, prevention, detection, and treatment largely depend on parents. This article explores parents’ perspectives on amblyopia and routine examination of their children’s eyes. A cross-sectional study used an electronic questionnaire consisting of five main sections to assess the level of awareness of amblyopia among parents. As a result, a total of 325 participants were included in our analysis. 209 (64.3%) were mothers, and 116 (35/7%) were fathers. The age groups were 35–50 years of age (61.5%), 20–34 years (23.4%), and older than 50 years (15%). Participants with a history of amblyopia numbered 23 (7.1%), and 39 had an amblyopic child (12%). A good awareness level of amblyopia among parents was found in only 10 (3%) participants, a fair awareness level in 202 (62%), and 113 (35%) participants were classified as having a poor awareness level of amblyopia. Only 13.8% of the parents took their children for yearly routine eye exams, while the majority (72%) took their children only if they had a complaint, and 14.2% took them for eye checkups only before school entry. In conclusion, parents’ awareness of amblyopia in Tabuk City, KSA, was low. In addition, a limited proportion of parents reported consistently taking their children for routine eye exams. Therefore, raising awareness should be considered in public education regarding the disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:38:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09fc889ac280475bb03091df4667f68f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:38:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-09fc889ac280475bb03091df4667f68f2023-11-22T17:51:29ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672021-10-0181093510.3390/children8100935Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s PerspectiveAlhanouf Alatawi0Naif Alali1Abrar Alamrani2Faris Hashem3Seham Alhemaidi4Shaker Alreshidi5Hani Albalawi6Department of Ophthalmology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Tabuk 47717, Saudi ArabiaOphthalmology Division, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Ophthalmology, King Khaled Hospital, Tabuk 47915, Saudi ArabiaOphthalmology Division, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi ArabiaOphthalmology Division, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Majmaah University, Majmaah 11952, Saudi ArabiaOphthalmology Division, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi ArabiaAmblyopia is a reduced best-corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes that cannot be attributed to a structural abnormality; it is a functional reduction in the vision of an eye caused by disuse during a critical period of visual development. It is considered the leading cause of visual defects in children. With early diagnosis and treatment, children with amblyopia can significantly improve their vision. However, if it is neglected and not treated during childhood, unfortunately, it permanently decreases vision. Therefore, prevention, detection, and treatment largely depend on parents. This article explores parents’ perspectives on amblyopia and routine examination of their children’s eyes. A cross-sectional study used an electronic questionnaire consisting of five main sections to assess the level of awareness of amblyopia among parents. As a result, a total of 325 participants were included in our analysis. 209 (64.3%) were mothers, and 116 (35/7%) were fathers. The age groups were 35–50 years of age (61.5%), 20–34 years (23.4%), and older than 50 years (15%). Participants with a history of amblyopia numbered 23 (7.1%), and 39 had an amblyopic child (12%). A good awareness level of amblyopia among parents was found in only 10 (3%) participants, a fair awareness level in 202 (62%), and 113 (35%) participants were classified as having a poor awareness level of amblyopia. Only 13.8% of the parents took their children for yearly routine eye exams, while the majority (72%) took their children only if they had a complaint, and 14.2% took them for eye checkups only before school entry. In conclusion, parents’ awareness of amblyopia in Tabuk City, KSA, was low. In addition, a limited proportion of parents reported consistently taking their children for routine eye exams. Therefore, raising awareness should be considered in public education regarding the disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/10/935amblyopiaparent’s perspectivesknowledgeattitudeschildren’s routine eye examsdecrease vision |
| spellingShingle | Alhanouf Alatawi Naif Alali Abrar Alamrani Faris Hashem Seham Alhemaidi Shaker Alreshidi Hani Albalawi Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective Children amblyopia parent’s perspectives knowledge attitudes children’s routine eye exams decrease vision |
| title | Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective |
| title_full | Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective |
| title_short | Amblyopia and Routine Eye Exam in Children: Parent’s Perspective |
| title_sort | amblyopia and routine eye exam in children parent s perspective |
| topic | amblyopia parent’s perspectives knowledge attitudes children’s routine eye exams decrease vision |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/10/935 |
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