Research

Barriers to Spectacle Use in Tanzanian Secondary School Students

  • The purpose of this study was to assess the barriers to spectacle use in Tanzanian secondary school students.

  • A survey questionnaire was administered explore satisfaction with spectacles and the attitudes of trial participants (median age 15 years).

  • Students seemed happy with the appearance of their spectacles and the beneficial impact on their vision.

  • Peer pressure and parental concerns about safety of spectacle use, cost of purchasing spectacles and difficulties in accessing good local optical services were identified as the main barriers.

  • Students criticized prescribing practices of local opticians and favored alternative and traditional treatments for visual impairment.

  • Barriers such as peer pressure or concerns about safety need to be addressed in order to increase the effectiveness of school vision screening in Tanzania.

This article was identified as a reference for a VII-commissioned systematic review on the Impact of URE on Children.

Publication date

December 7, 2016

Authors

Odedra, N., Wedner, S.H., Shigongo, Z.S., Nyalali, K. and Gilbert, C.
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