Knowledge of Primary Eye Care among Medical Students in Iran

The purpose of this study was evaluating the medical students’ knowledge of Primary Eye Care (PEC) for determining the level of Eye Care Programs (ECPs) in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was applied to collect the data from 504 medical students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. The participants answered a total of 60 questions in 4 sections. The knowledge of medical students about the PEC and the importance of developing the ECPs in Iran were evaluated. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to assess the association between variables. The majority of the participants were under 30 years old and about half of them were undergraduate students and 49.4% were graduate students. About 54.4% of the subjects wore glasses and only 13.3% of them knew about the ECPs (p=0.028). Thirty-two and a half percent of subjects with glasses rarely had regular eye visits (at least once a year), and 42% of subjects without glasses also had blurred vision (p<0.001). Only 14.5% of contact lens wearers knew about the ECPs and 47.6% of them rarely had regular eye visits (p=0.013). About 90% of electronic device users didn’t know about the PEC and related educational programs for reducing computer vision syndrome (p=0.018). A considerable number of participants had weak knowledge about PEC and regular eye visits, and paid more attention to treatment than prevention. Preparation and implementation of educational ECPs are recommended to raise the level of PEC knowledge for improving eye health.