Parent strategies for improving compliance with eyeglass wear in young children.

SIGNIFICANCE: Results of this study provide preliminary data on parent strategies for improving compliance with eyeglass treatment in young children, an age group for which previous data are limited. Parent responses provide important insights to support parents of young children who wear eyeglasses and provide preliminary data to guide additional research. PURPOSE: The goal of this exploratory study was to learn more about parents' strategies to improve compliance with eyeglass treatment of young children. METHODS: An online survey of parents of 1-year-old to less than 5-year-old children who wear eyeglasses was conducted. Parents indicated whether they used various strategies to encourage wear and were asked to provide advice for parents of young children recently prescribed eyeglasses. Use of various strategies by age was determined. Open-ended responses regarding advice for other parents were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The final sample included 104 parents who were predominantly White (81%), non-Hispanic (76%), and college graduates (68%). During the 2 weeks prior to survey completion, 74% of parents reported their child wore their eyeglasses ≥8 hours/day. Use of strategies for improving eyeglass wear varied by child age. The most frequent recommendations that parents provided for other parents were to be consistent in encouraging wear, use social modeling, provide positive reinforcement when the eyeglasses are worn, and ensure that the eyeglasses fit well and were comfortable. CONCLUSIONS: Parents provided many useful insights into their experiences. However, results may not be broadly generalizable, because of the limited diversity and high rate of compliance in the study sample. Further research with more diverse populations and research on effectiveness of various strategies to increase compliance in this age group are recommended to support eyeglass treatment compliance in young children.

Telemedicine distance and near visual acuity tests for adults and children.

We describe a set of distance and near, adult and child, visual acuity tests for home use. The five charts are packaged in a PDF document and are also available as JPEG images that can be printed on standard letter paper or displayed on a monitor or handheld device. Adult distance visual acuity is tested using a modified ETDRS Chart R; child distance vision is tested using a similarly formatted HOTV logMAR chart. Testing distance is 5 or 10 feet, appropriate for home use. Near visual acuity is displayed in the range of J16 to J1 using random words (for adults) or in HOTV matching format (for young children). An Amsler Grid and HOTV matching card are included. The charts include a calibration circle. For those without a printer, sending a JPEG image as an email attachment initiates onscreen testing with a single click. Devices with smaller screens require an assistant to scroll through the display. The test can performed without assistance from a printed page.