Adaptation time required after change in astigmatic prescription as compared to spherical prescription in teenagers.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To find out the normal adaptation time of different types of refractive errors after a significant change in refractive prescription in glasses users.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 62 subjects having different types of refractive errors such as myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism. Teenagers aged 12-20 years, who had already using glasses, were included in this study. Consent of the patients was taken and refraction was performed. The patients were called for follow-up after 3-5 weeks. Results were obtained by asking the patients to fill the self-designed proforma and questionnaire.

RESULTS: Only teenagers were included in this study and results showed that patients with 33.9% myopia, 20.97% Hypermetropia and 45.2% astigmatic refractive error occasionally had a problem in adapting to new glasses prescription. The problem in the distance and near vision, in mobility, the complaint of headache, anxiety, the complaint of eye strain, micropsia, blurred vision and complaint of image distortion. adaptation time varies according to the type of refractive error such as 3.2% were adapted within 2 weeks, 56.5% patients were adapted within 3 weeks while 27.4% required 4 weeks to adapt the new glasses and 11.3% were adapted within5 weeks.

CONCLUSION: The teenagers easily adapt to the new glasses as compared to older patients. The teenagers with Hypermetropic and myopic refractive error fully adopt the new eyeglasses within 3-4 weeks of adaptation. But teenagers with astigmatic refractive error required more than 4week to adapt.

KEYWORDS: Myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, adaption time.