Clinical Optometry最新文献

{"title":"The Patients' Perspective for the Impact of Late Detection of Ocular Diseases on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Ahmed Almazroa,&nbsp;Hessa Almatar,&nbsp;Reema Alduhayan,&nbsp;Maram Albalawi,&nbsp;Mansour Alghamdi,&nbsp;Saja Alhoshan,&nbsp;Suhailah Alamri,&nbsp;Norah Alkanhal,&nbsp;Yara J Alsiwat,&nbsp;Saad Alrabiah,&nbsp;Mohammed Aldrgham,&nbsp;Ahmed A AlSaleh,&nbsp;Hessa Abdulrahman Alsanad,&nbsp;Barrak Alsomaie","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S422451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S422451","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Late detection of ocular diseases negatively affects patients' quality of life (QoL), encompassing health status, psychological, financial, and social aspects. However, the early detection of eye conditions leads to rapid intervention and avoiding complications, thus preserving the QoL. This study assessed the impact of ocular diseases late detection on patients' QoL at multi-eye clinics based on questionnaire responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed an original Arabic-English questionnaire to assess the QoL of patients with ocular diseases referred from primary and secondary healthcare centers to tertiary hospitals. It covered preliminary data, patient perspectives on having lately detected ocular disease and treatment costs, and the impact of late detection on finances, social life, psychology, health status, and awareness of current initiatives. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the associations between patient perspectives on having ocular diseases detected at a late stage and its impact on different domains. Multivariate logistic regression was applied with impact types of health status, psychological, financial, and social (dependent variables) and age, income levels, and hospital type (independent variables).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three hundred and eighty-eight responded, with 50% experiencing psychological effects, 27% health issues, 23% social impacts, and 23% financial burdens. Two hundred seventeen patients (56%) reported having ocular condition detected in late stage. Logistic regression analysis showed positive association with health status, social well-being, and financial effects (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed pronounced effects in patients ≤ 50 years, with income < 5000 SAR, and those visiting private clinics (p < 0.05). The social impact was greater in patients visiting private hospitals. Ninety percent of all patients emphasized the importance of increasing awareness for better QoL.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Significant associations were found between the late detection of eye diseases and their impact on QoL. Therefore, early detection and increasing patients' awareness of ocular diseases and treatment are essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"15 ","pages":"191-204"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/09/b8/opto-15-191.PMC10503557.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10299476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vision Quality of Life with Time Survey: Normative Data and Repeatability.","authors":"Michaela E Dungan,&nbsp;Mitchell Scheiman,&nbsp;Chang Yaramothu","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S406407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S406407","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To develop a novel Vision Quality of Life (QoL) survey that emphasizes the amount of time a visual activity can be performed before symptoms occur.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The Vision Quality of Life with Time (VisQuaL-T) survey was developed with 10 daily activities and a list of common visual symptoms. Participants were recruited from a university campus. Participants were not excluded based on binocular impairments to obtain a normative dataset. Participants were instructed to denote when they first experience symptoms within certain time ranges. If participants did not engage in one of the 10 activities, they were instructed to denote \"N/A\". A composite score (range 0-3) was determined by only accounting for the questions that were answered.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The normative data cohort had a sample size of 376 participants and the repeatability cohort had 54 participants. The normative, test, and retest datasets had a mean composite score of 2.47±0.54, 2.69±0.42, and 2.67±0.49 and 95% confidence interval of 2.38-2.71, 2.58-2.81, 2.54-2.80, respectively. There was good reliability and high correlation between the test and retest timepoints with an ICC of 0.825 and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.839 in the repeatability cohort. The normative data cohort showed good internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.803. Test and retest timepoints showed no statistical significance among the individual questions (p > 0.1).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A lower bound score of 2.4 can potentially be used to differentiate visually normal and symptomatic participants. Statistical analysis showed the survey is repeatable and reliable. Using time as a metric for assessing symptomology could be a useful method for identifying patients with QoL issues and for assessing effectiveness of binocular vision, accommodative, and eye movement treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"15 ","pages":"205-212"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/5e/41/opto-15-205.PMC10505015.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10299473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demodex Blepharitis: A Survey-Based Approach to Investigate Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Optometrists in India.","authors":"Nikhil Sharma,&nbsp;Eilidh Martin,&nbsp;Edward Ian Pearce,&nbsp;Suzanne Hagan,&nbsp;Christine Purslow","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S403837","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S403837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practice towards Demodex blepharitis among optometrists in India.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted in the form of an online survey using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). The survey link was distributed via direct e-mail and social media platforms, and it was comprised of 20 questions divided into two sections. The first section focused on the practitioners' demographics and their views on the general health of the eyelid. The second section of the survey was specific and aimed at obtaining information on identifying and treating Demodex blepharitis, and was only completed by those respondents who looked for Demodex mites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The survey was completed by 174 optometrists. The prevalence of blepharitis in the general population was judged by the respondents to be 40%, whereas the prevalence of Demodex mites was estimated to be 29%. Interestingly, the prevalence of Demodex mites in people with blepharitis was estimated to be 30%. This estimated prevalence was substantially lower than that reported in the literature on the subject. 66% of participants believed Demodex mites to be a significant cause of ocular discomfort, whereas only 30% of participants would intervene to diagnose and manage Demodex blepharitis in their patients. Optometrists differed in their preferred method of diagnosis and management of Demodex infestation in eyelids.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The result of this survey suggests that Demodex blepharitis is a highly under-diagnosed condition in India, with nearly 30% of surveyed optometrists managing this condition. The study also observed a lack of awareness and consensus among surveyed optometrists with regards to diagnosis and appropriate treatment methods to control Demodex infestation in eyelids.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"15 ","pages":"55-64"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/07/5d/opto-15-55.PMC10105579.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9329108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accuracy of the SRK/T Formula in Pediatric Cataract Surgery.","authors":"Irawati Irfani,&nbsp;Tri Wahyu,&nbsp;Primawita Oktarima,&nbsp;Sesy Caesarya,&nbsp;Maya Sari,&nbsp;Feti Karfiati","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S390994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S390994","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Determining IOL power is an important step in achieving the desired postoperative refractive target, but this determination remains challenging, as currently the used formulas were developed using IOL power calculations derived from adults.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>This is a retrospective analytical study with the period of June 2018 to May 2019. All of the data were taken from medical records in referral tertiary eye hospital in Indonesia. All type of cataracts underwent uncomplicated surgeries and in-the-bag IOL implantation were included in this study, while aphakia, secondary IOL implantation, primary sulcus implantation, and history of ocular disorders were excluded. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon sign-rank, paired t, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty-seven patients (106 eyes) were found to meet the inclusion criteria, average age was 7.35 ± 4.61 years (1.00 to 17.00 years). Average targeted refraction was 1.69 ± 2.06 D (-0.38-+6.99 D), and spherical equivalent (actual postoperative refraction) was -0.90 ± 1.45 D (-4.38 to +2.75 D). There was statistically significant difference between preoperative targeted refraction and actual postoperative refraction (p < 0.001). Mean absolute prediction error (APE) in general was 1.34 ± 1.18 D, 1.22 ± 0.88 D (in short eyes), 1.52 ± 1.37 D (in moderate eyes), and 0.69 ± 0.52 D (in long eyes) (p = 0.202). Mean APE in age group <7 years old was 1.27 ± 1.18 D and ≥7 years-old was 1.42 ± 1.19 D (p = 0.429).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>SRK/T formula is fairly accurate in calculating IOL power in pediatric cataract surgery. Mean APE in this study was within the range of accurate mean APE in pediatric patients despite differentiated axial length and age.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"15 ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/1f/e3/opto-15-1.PMC9826636.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10520974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spectacle Coverage Rate After Cataract Surgery in an Urban Area in Indonesia.","authors":"Tri Rahayu,&nbsp;Yeni Dwi Lestari,&nbsp;Asti Ayudianingrum,&nbsp;Lutfah Rif'ati","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S417876","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S417876","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Uncorrected refractive errors after cataract surgery contribute to visual impairments. The aim of this study was to investigate the spectacle coverage rate (SCR) following cataract surgery and its relationship with socioeconomic factors in an urban city in Indonesia.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 in Jakarta. The former participants of the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) survey had a history of cataract surgery and met either of the following criteria: (1) wore spectacles with presenting visual acuity (PVA) 6/12 or (2) had PVA less than 6/12 regardless of spectacle use but achieved the best visual acuity (BVA) 6/12 with pinhole correction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 2998 participants of the RAAB survey, 173 (5.6%) (252 eyes) had a history of cataract surgery, among whom 53 (86 eyes) met our inclusion criteria. The SCR was 69.8% and was associated with age group, household income level, education level, and physicians' recommendation of spectacle wear. Participants who were of nonproductive age (80%), had the highest household income level (88.2%), the highest level of education (87.5%), and had been recommended for spectacle use by their physicians (80.9%) demonstrated higher SCR. Participants with the highest household income had the highest SCR. Patients who had received a physician's recommendation showed a higher SCR and were 26 times more likely to wear spectacles (odds ratio [OR] 25.99, 95% CI 2.59-260.10).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There is an unmet need for refractive errors after cataract surgery. Factors such as household income levels and physician recommendations were predictive of spectacle wear.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":"15 ","pages":"167-173"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/df/6c/opto-15-167.PMC10440109.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10051642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Home-Based Dichoptic Therapy on Young Adults with Non-Strabismic Anisometropic Amblyopia on Stereo Acuity.","authors":"Sunday Nduka Ojiabo,&nbsp;Alvin J Munsamy","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S385845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S385845","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate the effect of home-based dichoptic visual therapy using anaglyphic red-green filters on the stereo acuity in a sample of young adults with non-strabismic anisometropic amblyopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was observational and cross-sectional in design. Two groups (experimental vs control) were sourced using purposive sampling of young adults with non-strabismic amblyopia (experimental group) in comparison to an age-match control group without amblyopia. For the purpose of refractive adaptation, all participants in both groups were asked to wear their spectacle correction constantly for at least 16 weeks prior to exposure to home-based dichoptic therapy. Stereo acuity measurements using the Stereo Fly test were obtained before and after 40 hours exposure to home-based dichoptic therapy. The changes in stereo acuity post eight weeks (40 hours) training from baseline measurements was obtained. The difference in medians between the experimental and control groups using the Mann-Whitney <i>U</i>-test was measured with significance set at P value of <0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 38 young adults (19 males, 19 females) with a mean age of 24.05 ± 5.66 years were enrolled in this study. Nineteen anisometropic amblyopes comprised the experimental group, fifteen of which were classified as moderate amblyopia (6/12-6/36) and 19 non-amblyopes comprised the control group. Home-based dichoptic therapy used on the experimental group after 8 weeks showed a significant improvement in stereo-acuity with a mean improvement of 345.26 ± 184.85 sec arc^-1 [IQR:260;600; p<0.001] when compared to the control group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Home-based dichoptic therapy improved stereo-acuity in non-strabismic anisometropic amblyopes (moderate) in young adults. Thus suggesting that binocularity can improve in anisometropic adult amblyopes with a treatment modality that may be a convenient option better suit the demanding lifestyle of economically active adults who may not be able to comply with clinic-based therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":" ","pages":"237-247"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/bf/eb/opto-14-237.PMC9718499.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35346820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adhesion of Asian Dust Particles to Verofilcon a Soft Contact Lenses.","authors":"Tatsuya Mimura,&nbsp;Hiroshi Fujishima,&nbsp;Eichi Uchio,&nbsp;Kazumi Fukagawa,&nbsp;Yuji Inoue,&nbsp;Makoto Kawashima,&nbsp;Kazuma Kitsu,&nbsp;Atsushi Mizota","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S381763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S381763","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Asian dust poses a serious global health hazard. Airborne particles adhering to contact lenses may cause substantial damage to the ocular surface. The recently released one-day disposable silicone hydrogel soft contact lens (SCL), the verofilcon A, has a smooth surface with SMARTSURFACE^® technology, which is designed to prevent adhesion of protein components and foreign bodies. The purpose of this study was to verify the protective quality of verofilcon A SCL against adhesion of Asian dust particles to its surface.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Verofilcon A and etafilcon A (control lens) SCLs were used (n=16 per group), and 0.2 mL of physiological saline containing 0.01 mg/mL of Asian dust particles was dropped on the surface of SCLs, allowed to stand for 1 hour, shaken for 1 minute, and rinsed three times with saline (after rinsing). In addition, the samples were agitated by a vortex mixer for 1 minute and rinsed three times with saline (after vortex). The number of Asian dust particles adhering to the SCLs and percentage of the surface area occupied by the Asian dust particles was determined before washing, after rinsing, and after vortexing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The number of adherent Asian dust particles was lower on verofilcon A SCL (297 ± 116 after rinsing, and 5 ± 14 after vortexing) than on etafilcon A SCL (523 ± 212 after rinsing, p=0.003, and 378 ± 268 after vortexing, p<0.001). The Asian dust adhesion area was also lower on verofilcon A SCL (3.6 ± 2.3% after rinsing and 0.0 ± 0.1% after vortexing than on etafilcon A (10.2 ± 2.1% after rinsing, p=0.002, and 5.2 ± 3.0% after vortexing, p<0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings indicate that verofilcon A SCL has the property of low adhesion of Asian dust particles. Verofilcon A SCL can be recommended for SCL wearers during windy and Asian dust days.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":" ","pages":"215-221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/77/14/opto-14-215.PMC9624171.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40664976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Wear Experience with Soft Daily Disposable Lenses for Astigmatism over 16 Hours of Wear.","authors":"Jennifer Swingle Fogt,&nbsp;Kimberly Patton","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S387740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S387740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The purpose of this study was to assess the wear experience of participants while wearing a toric daily disposable contact lens with water surface technology over long days of lens wear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Existing soft toric contact lens wearers were fit with the daily disposable study lenses. Participants assessed their initial comfort, vision, and satisfaction with the lenses by visual analog scale (VAS) survey. After a successful 1-week follow-up visit, participants were scheduled for 5 survey days, in which surveys were deployed to their smartphones for immediate assessments of comfort and quality of vision on a 1-10 scale at 10, 12, 14, and 16 hours of lens wear on 5 subsequent weeknights. The final study visit assessed visual acuity, and overall lens wear experience surveys were completed with VAS surveys. The overall median and interquartile (IQR) range of all surveys were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty bilateral toric lens wearers completed the study. Median (IQR) initial impression VAS scores were 97(12) for quality of vision, 100(9) for comfort, and 96(10) for satisfaction. Median evening surveys resulted in comfort scores of 10(1) at 10 hours, 9(2) at 12 hours, 9(2) at 14 hours, and 8(2) at 16 hours of wear. Median evening surveys resulted in quality of vision scores of 10(1) at 10 hours, 10(2) at 12 hours, 9(2) at 14 hours, and 9(3) at 16 hours of wear. VAS scores for overall experience were 97(9) for comfort, 95(13) for vision, and 8(31) for dryness. End-of-day VAS scores were 93(21) for comfort, 90(15) for vision, and 21(38) for dryness. Mean (±standard deviation) OU LogMAR visual acuity with the study lenses was -0.19(0.06).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Surveys of wear experience resulted in high scores for comfort and vision over the course of a long day of wear with the daily disposable study lenses in this population of patients with astigmatism.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":" ","pages":"207-214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/9d/cf/opto-14-207.PMC9624167.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40664975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions Towards Hand Hygiene of Optometry Students Pre- and Peri-COVID-19 at a Tertiary Institution in Johannesburg, South Africa.","authors":"Susarah Maria Richter,&nbsp;Tobias George Barnard","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S379659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S379659","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Limited research has been completed relating to the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards hand hygiene in optometry. The necessity of identifying possible gaps in the cycle of the optometric examination that may have an impact on standard hygiene practices is essential, especially seen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to determine if optometry students' KAP towards hand hygiene changed pre- and peri-COVID-19 to minimize the risk of possible infection it may have for their patients, family, and themselves.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>A cross-sectional purposeful sample study was completed among optometry students at a training institution in Johannesburg, South Africa, pre- (2019) and peri-COVID-19 (2022). The WHO hand hygiene knowledge and perception questionnaires for health care workers were adapted and used in the current study. Statistical analyses were performed to test for significant changes between the two groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was a significant change (p < 0.01) in the use of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) in 2022 (87.2%) compared to 2019 (46.5%), although only 41% of students peri-COVID-19 (2022), were aware that a minimum of 20 seconds is required to effectively clean hands. Students, both pre-COVID-19 (63.8%) and peri-COVID-19 (81.8%) perceived performing a hand hygiene regime during an optometric examination to be problematic. A significant peri-COVID-19 (2022) change in perception (p < 0.01) regarding the importance of completing required hand hygiene practices in front of a patient during examination was seen.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to research a possible change in KAP towards hand hygiene practices in optometry students that have not been investigated before. Students were more aware of the impact of hand hygiene practices and the perception thereof, especially by patients and fellow students during the peri-COVID-19 (2022) period. An important finding was the difficulty that students experienced to perform a hand hygiene regime during an optometric examination.</p>","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":" ","pages":"195-205"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/9d/d0/opto-14-195.PMC9621026.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40444179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Letter to the Editor: \"Self-Reported Student Awareness and Prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome During COVID-19 Pandemic at Al-Baha University\" [Letter].","authors":"Mohammed Iqbal,&nbsp;Hosam Ibrahim Elzembely,&nbsp;Omar M Said","doi":"10.2147/OPTO.S391171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S391171","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43701,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Optometry","volume":" ","pages":"193-194"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2022-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/c5/ad/opto-14-193.PMC9578492.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40660390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}