Knowledge and attitude of myopes or their guardians towards refractive surgery in Suzhou, China: a cross-sectional survey.

Abstract

Background: Refractive surgery is gaining widespread popularity; however, there remains a limited understanding of the knowledge and attitudes of myopes regarding these procedures.

Objectives: To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of myopes or their guardians towards refractive surgery.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants: 581 myopes or their guardians in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, surveyed between August and October 2022.

Outcome measures: Knowledge and attitude scores before and after refractive surgery, ranging from 0 to 45 and 0 to 36, respectively.

Results: Postsurgery knowledge (32.35±11.48 vs 27.38±11.74, p<0.001) and attitude (27.77±3.505 vs 26.6±3.267, p<0.001) scores were significantly higher than presurgery scores. Participants showed insufficient knowledge but positive attitudes preoperatively, with significant improvements postoperatively. Factors influencing knowledge scores included education level (Ref. senior middle school or lower; junior college/college, OR=5.81, 95% CI 2.52 to 9.09, p=0.001; postgraduate or higher, OR=7.83, 95% CI 3.83 to 11.8, p<0.001) and survey timing (after refractive error surgery, OR=5.09, 95% CI 3.02 to 7.16, p<0.001), while attitude scores were influenced by knowledge scores (OR=0.05, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.07, p<0.001), gender (female, OR=1.24, 95% CI -2.8--1.0, p<0.001), age (21-30 years old, OR=-1.9, 95% CI 2.52 to 9.09, p<0.001; >30 years old, OR=-2.5, 95% CI -3.5--1.4, p<0.001) and survey timing (after refractive error surgery, OR=0.86, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.47, p=0.006).

Conclusions: Myopes or their guardians had positive attitudes towards refractive surgery both preoperatively and postoperatively. Insufficient knowledge prior to refractive surgery underscores the critical need for informed decision-making before undergoing the procedure.