Purpose: Uncorrected refractive error (RE) is a leading cause of visual impairment. Correction through glasses, contact lenses (CL), or refractive surgery (RS) is crucial to prevent functional and quality-of-life limitations. This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the patient preferences regarding the correction methods. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was employed, including 451 patients (346 females; mean age: 24.30 ± 6.2 years) with RE corrected by either glasses, CL, or RS. A structured questionnaire was used that included demographics, clinical characteristics, preferences, and satisfaction. Results: The demographics and the extent of refractive error significantly influenced the selection of correction methods (p = 0.00). Professional recommendations (66.0%) and cost considerations (47.1%) are the main motivations for acquiring spectacles. They avoided CL due to side effects (69.9%) and maintenance difficulties (54.9%). In the CL groups, the primary motivation was cosmesis (82.2%, p > 0.05), while they avoided glasses due to inconvenience (59.6%). Neither group chose RS due to associated side effects (45.8% and 55.5%, respectively) and insufficient information regarding the procedure (39.2% and 47.9%, respectively). The primary motivations for RS are the inconvenience associated with glasses and CLs (73.3%) and aesthetic concerns (67.1%). They avoided spectacles due to inconvenience (70.4%) and unsatisfactory cosmetics (67.8%), whereas CLs were avoided due to concerns about potential side effects (67.1%) and maintenance challenges (68.4%). The RS group exhibited a significantly (P<0.001) higher satisfaction rate at 88.8%, compared to the glasses group at 71.9% and the CL group at 63.0%. Discomfort (30.1%) and cosmesis (29.4%) significantly influenced dissatisfaction with glasses (p = 0.00). Related side effects (60.3%), limitations during swimming (56.2%), maintenance difficulties (43.2%), and cost (15.1%) significantly influenced dissatisfaction with CL (p = 0.00). Conclusion: Based on self-reported satisfaction scores, RS users expressed the highest levels of satisfaction, followed by CL and spectacle users. Patient preferences appeared to be influenced by cost, comfort, and cosmetic concerns.
Beshtawi et al. (Sat,) studied this question.