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Published:
Jul 29, 2024DOI:
10.4314/jnoa.v26i1.3Keywords:
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Awareness and practice of scleral contact lens fitting among optometrists in Nigeria– A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Background: To investigate the awareness and practice of scleral contact lens fitting among optometrists in Nigeria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between November and December 2022 that required optometrists practicing in Nigeria to fill a self-administered, electronic online pretested questionnaire that included 17 questions on practitioner demographics, awareness and practice of scleral contact lenses. Microsoft Excel was used for Descriptive statistics of data obtained, while IBM SPSS Version 25.0 software was used for the Cronbach Alpha test for reliability of the modified questionnaire and Chi-square test to determine the relationship between gender and awareness of scleral contact lens practice.
Results: A total of 307 of the 310 responses were included in the study. 3 of the responses were excluded because they were not properly filled. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of years of practice was 11.2 ± 8.4 years and the contact lens fitting experience was 7.3 ± 6.9 years. Most optometrists surveyed worked in private practice (60.3%, n=185) or hospital-based settings (30.6%, n=94). The majority of optometrists (94.1%, n=289) reported they were aware of scleral contact lenses and only a small portion (5.9%, n=18) had not heard of it. There was no significant relationship between gender and awareness of scleral contact lens (p=0.422). Out of the 307 responses received, only 44 (14.3%) optometrists indicated that they fit scleral contact lenses. The most frequent condition for which scleral contact lenses were prescribed included Keratoconus (n=33, 75%) and the least condition was Presbyopia (n=1, 2.3%). However, majority of optometrists (n=263, 85.7%) reported scleral contact lenses were not fitted in their practice, the most frequent reason being the unavailability and cost of scleral contact lenses (n=177, 67.3%), followed by negative assumptions and attitudes of patients towards contact lens wear (n=107, 40.7%).
Conclusion: The level of awareness of scleral contact lenses among optometrists in Nigeria is high; however, there is a limited practice of scleral contact lens fitting in Nigeria which could be as a result of the unavailability and cost of these lenses.
