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Abstract
Background
This study aims to assess the temporal trends in the prevalence of spectacle use and spectacle coverage for refractive errors in population‐based studies conducted during 2011–2012 and 2017 among those aged ≥ 40-years in the state of Telangana, India. An intervention in the form of 10 vision centres and a secondary centre was established in one district (Khammam) after the 2011–2012 study and another district (Warangal) was left to secular trends.
Methods
In both the studies, multi‐stage cluster random sampling methodology was used to select the participants. In addition to a clinical examination, a questionnaire was used for collecting information on current and previous use of spectacles, type of spectacles and details of the spectacle providers. The same questionnaire was used in both the studies.
Results
In total, 2,485 participants were examined in the 2011–2012 study and 2,711 participants were examined in the 2017 study in Khammam. Similarly, 2,438 and 2,646 participants were examined in Warangal in the two studies, respectively. In Khammam, the age and gender‐adjusted prevalence of current spectacle use increased from 30.0 per cent (95% CI 28.2–31.9) to 34.8 per cent (95% CI 33.0–36.6) in the 2011–2012 and 2017 studies, respectively (p < 0.01). However, in the Warangal district, the age and gender‐adjusted prevalence of current spectacle use declined from 32.8 per cent (95% CI 31.0–34.7) to 27.6 per cent (95% CI 25.9–29.3) during the 2011–2012 and 2017 studies, respectively (p < 0.01). In Khammam, the spectacle coverage increased from 26.9 per cent to 35.6 per cent, but it declined from 43.8 per cent to 35.7 per cent in Warangal between the studies in 2011–2012 and 2017.
Conclusions
An increase in spectacle use and coverage was observed in Khammam where the secondary centre and vision centres were established, compared to Warangal where there was no such intervention. The results suggest a positive impact of the intervention in the Khammam district and suggest replication of the model to address the burden of uncorrected refractive errors.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the volunteers for their participation in the study. The authors acknowledge the assistance provided by Guvvala Venkatesh, B Sanjay Bhargav, Yellimalla Srikanth, Kolakaluri Praveen Kumar, Seelam Siva Nagaraju (vision technicians) in data collection, and thank U Vijay Kumar (administrator) for their logistic support for the study. Ratnakar Yellapragada and Muni Rajya Lakshmi are acknowledged for support in data management. Professor Jill Keeffe is acknowledged for her scientific inputs on the earlier versions of the manuscript. The authors also thank Neha Hasija for her language input on earlier versions of the manuscript. This work was supported by Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, India and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), SightFirst Research grant (SF1943/UND).