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Purpose: To survey paediatric eye care providers to identify current patterns of prescribing for hyperopia. Methods: Paediatric eye care providers were invited, via email, to participate in a survey to evaluate current age‐based refractive error prescribing practices. Questions were designed to determine which factors may influence the survey participant's prescribing pattern (e.g., patient's age, magnitude of hyperopia, patient's symptoms, heterophoria and stereopsis) and if the providers were to prescribe, how much hyperopic correction would they prescribe (e.g., full or partial prescription). The response distributions by profession (optometry and ophthalmology) were compared using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov cumulative distribution function test. Results: Responses were submitted by 738 participants regarding how they prescribe for their hyperopic patients. Most providers within each profession considered similar clinical factors when prescribing. The percentages of optometrists and ophthalmologists who reported considering the factor often differed significantly. Factors considered similarly by both optometrists and ophthalmologists were the presence of symptoms (98.0%, p = 0.14), presence of astigmatism and/or anisometropia (97.5%, p = 0.06) and the possibility of teasing (8.3%, p = 0.49). A wide range of prescribing was observed within each profession, with some providers reporting that they would prescribe for low levels of hyperopia while others reported that they would never prescribe. When prescribing for bilateral hyperopia in children with age‐normal visual acuity and no manifest deviation or symptoms, the threshold for prescribing decreased with age for both professions, with ophthalmologists typically prescribing 1.5–2 D less than optometrists. The threshold for prescribing also decreased for both optometrists and ophthalmologists when children had associated clinical factors (e.g., esophoria or reduced near visual function). Optometrists and ophthalmologists most commonly prescribed based on cycloplegic refraction, although optometrists most commonly prescribed based on both the manifest and cycloplegic refraction for children ≥7 years. Conclusion: Prescribing patterns for paediatric hyperopia vary significantly among eye care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report the ocular features of patients with PD who presented with visual complaints to a tertiary eye care center.Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out between January 2015 and March 2020 at the Neuro-Optometry clinic of a tertiary eye care center in Southern India. All PD patients with ocular complaints examined by the neuro- ophthalmologists were referred to Neuro-Optometry Clinic for detailed evaluation. Patients with other neurodegenerative disorders, brain injury, and other causes of vision loss or extraocular motility disorders were excluded.Results: A total of 43 patients (7 females, 36 males) between 50 and 86 years of age (mean: 70 ± 8.9 years) with a mean duration of PD of 4.5 ± 4.5 years were studied. Decreased vision associated with reading difficulty (40%) was common in PD patients. In terms of gaze restriction, vertical gaze involvement (35%) was more than horizontal involvement (7%). Convergence insufficiency (CI) was the most common binocular vision dysfunction (30%), followed by CI with oculomotor dysfunction (14%) and vertical gaze palsy (18%). Ground prisms were recommended for 26 patients (61%) and home vision therapy for 5 patients (12%) as corrective measures.Conclusion: Binocular vision dysfunction is highly prevalent among PD patients. This could potentially contribute to the reading difficulties and double vision encountered by these patients. Assessment of binocular vision and oculomotor parameters thus becomes important to understand and manage the reading difficulties in patients with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uncorrected refractive error (URE) is a major cause of vision impairment in children worldwide. Cases are often detected through a school-based vision screening program and then treated in a follow-up appointment. This requires parents or guardians ('parents') to adhere to referrals for the eye exam and care plan. We aim to understand the reasons for parents' referral non-adherence in Cross River State, Nigeria, using qualitative methods. Methods: Ten focus groups were held with parents who had not adhered to the referral for a follow-up eye examination. Participants were recruited with help from staff in schools hosting the vision screening programme. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide, audio taped and transcribed verbatim. After identifying relevant quotes, the researchers labelled each one with a descriptive code/subcode label. Then they clustered the data into categories and overarching themes. Results: Forty-four parents participated in 10 focus group discussions with 28 women and 16 men. Three themes and participated in the focus group discussions with 28 women (63%). Twelve themes were generated. The three megathemes were Modifiable Factors (with 4 themes), Contextual Factors (with 6 themes), and Recommendations (with 2 themes). Conclusion: Participants identified modifiable barriers that make it difficult for parents to adhere to a referral for a follow-up eye exam. These include not believing their child has a vision problem or the screening test, and issues with the referral letter. They also described important contextual factors such as poverty, logistical problems, parental attitudes towards their children and beliefs about appropriate care. Many of these issues could be addressed by following their recommendation to educate the public on the importance of child eye care and correct parents' misconceptions. These themes will be used by the Nigerian government to enhance and scale up its child eye health programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]