AWARENESS AND ADOPTION OF MYOPIA MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AMONG EYE CARE PRACTITIONERS IN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Myopia is a growing public-health problem, and evidence-based strategies that slow its progression are available, but their uptake in routine clinical practice may lag behind the evidence. This study assessed the awareness and adoption of myopia management strategies among eye care practitioners (ECPs) in Pakistan and identified factors associated with adoption.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 143 licensed ECPs (optometrists, ophthalmologists and other ECPs) working in hospitals, private clinics, academic institutions and optical setups. Participants were selected by non-probability convenience sampling, and data were collected with a structured questionnaire covering demographics, awareness, clinical practice, formal training and barriers. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Spearman correlation and binary logistic regression, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.1 ± 8.7 years, and 68.5% were optometrists. Although 82.5% had heard of myopia management strategies, only 28.7% rated their knowledge as good. Outdoor activity (75.5%) and low-dose atropine (67.1%) were the best-recognized strategies. Only 34.3% of practitioners regularly prescribed evidence-based myopia control, 29.4% did so occasionally and 36.4% did not prescribe any strategy. Lifestyle advice (50.3%) was the most commonly used approach, followed by multifocal or bifocal spectacles (35.7%) and atropine (30.1%). High adoption was more frequent among practitioners with formal training than among those without (61.5% vs 22.0%; χ² = 18.64, p < 0.001) and correlated positively with awareness (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) and negatively with barrier score (r = −0.29, p = 0.001). Formal training was the strongest independent predictor of high adoption (adjusted OR 3.42, 95% CI 1.62–7.21, p = 0.001). The most common barriers were lack of training (62.9%), high treatment cost (58.7%) and low patient awareness (54.5%).

Conclusion: Awareness of myopia management was high among ECPs in Pakistan, but routine adoption was low, indicating a marked awareness–practice gap. Structured continuing professional development, national clinical guidelines, affordable treatment and diagnostic resources, and parent education are needed to translate evidence into everyday practice.