Spectacle design preferences among school children in Enugu State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Background: Uncorrected refractive error has profound effects on children's educational and social development and spectacles are cost-effective in correcting this. However, the cosmetic appearance of spectacles may affect compliance to prescribed spectacles. Aims: This study explored spectacle design preferences of school children in Enugu State, Nigeria and any associated sociodemographic factors. A cross-sectional study among children aged 5–15 years from schools in Enugu state, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: The children independently selected from sets of spectacle frames, indicating their preferences on the basis of spectacle frame color, material, shape and size of the lens portion, design of the earpiece portions. Simple descriptive analysis was performed. Frequency tables were generated. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to test associations between categorical variables. Odds ratios were used to measure the strength of the associations where P < 0.05. Tests of significance were set at the 95% level. Results: A total of 1,167 children (45.6% male and 54.4% female) were seen. Majority of the children preferred red colored spectacle frames 467 (40%), plastic frames 723 (62%), rectangular shaped lens-pieces (55.2%), and frames with a straight earpiece 987 (84.6%). There is a strong association between gender and choice of spectacle colour (P < 0.01), gender and lens size preference (P < 0.05), and between school location and shapes of spectacle earpiece (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Spectacle preferences exist among the study population and some demographic factors are associated with these preferences which should be considered in any childhood refractive error services.