Knowledge, Attitude and Practices among Undergraduate Medical Students Regarding Surgical Correction of Refractive Errors; a Cross-sectional Study

Aim: This study was aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding refractive error correction surgeries among undergraduate medical students.

Study Design: In this study cross-sectional study design was used.

Duration and Place of Study: The study was conducted amongst the undergraduate MBBS students studying at Dow Medical College, Karachi. The duration of study was seven months (August, 2019 till February, 2020).

Methods: A sample size of 189 was calculated for the study with confidence level 95% and confidence limit 5%. Data was collected through a validated self-administered questionnaire which was divided in five subsections used to gain information regarding participant’s demographics, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding refractive error surgeries. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS V.22.

Results: In our study 189 students with a mean age of 21±1.8 years were included. Among the participants 112 (59.3%) had refractive errors. Glasses were used by majority 76 (67.9%) of participants for visual correction. Use of refractive error correction methods at all times was reported by 72 (66.7%) participants. Majority of respondents 142 (75.5%) had heard about surgery being used for correction of refractive errors. A large number of students 117 (66%) refused for surgery and fear of the outcomes was one of the reason for this refusal.

Conclusion: We found that majority of the participants were aware about refractive error correction surgeries yet most of them showed unwillingness for these procedures. This negative attitude must be changed to positive in order to enhance the practice for these procedures.