Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Low Vision Services among Optometrists in Tertiary Care Hospitals Rawalpindi

Abstract

Background: Vision plays a crucial role in our daily lives and any hindrance to it can greatly impact an individual's ability to perform daily activities. The incidence of visual impairment is on the rise globally, with a greater impact in developing nations. Unfortunately, the utilization of services for low vision is still low in countries such as Pakistan. Main aim of this study is to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards low vision services among Optometrists in Tertiary Care Hospitals Rawalpindi and to check association of socio-demographic factors with Knowledge, Attitude and practices of optometrists. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design being used with a sample size of 120 respondents from tertiary care hospitals Rawalpindi. A non-probability convenience sampling was done and adapted validated questionnaire was used for data collection from August 2022 to December 2022. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 17.0. Results: Out of a total of 120 participants, the majority were females (75.9%) and a smaller percentage were males (14.3%). The participants were practicing optometrists. According to the study, a significant proportion of females (81.2%) demonstrated good knowledge towards low vision services. The age of the practitioners ranged from 23 to over 35 years, and they held Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Furthermore, a significant number of female practitioners (76.2%) exhibited proficient practices in delivering low vision services. The analysis revealed a statistically significant association between the age of respondents and their attitude and practices towards low vision services among optometrists, as indicated by a p-value less than 0.05. Additionally, another statistically significant association was found between the age of respondents and barriers faced by practitioners when attending low vision training programs in tertiary care hospitals, also with a p-value less than 0.05. Conclusion: The significant outcome of this study reveals that only about 64.7% of the participants correctly understood the definition of low vision according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The study's conclusion highlights that there is Good level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among optometrists in Pakistan regarding low vision, which has implications for their ability to provide low vision services effectively. Keywords: Low vision, Low vision services, Optometrists, Knowledge, practices, barriers.