In India, participants will be recruited from those attending Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital for refractive eye care. These individuals are screened for eye disease and visual acuity is measured as part of routine care. All with distance vision worse than 20/40 will have pinhole acuity taken to estimate benefit of refractive correction. Those who have refracted distance visual acuity better than 20/40 in the better eye and minimum spherical refractive error of ±1 dioptre will be eligible for the study. The clinical testing can be conducted on the same day and include habitual distance vision, refraction and refracted visual acuity.
In China, participants will be recruited from those identified by a School Screening Program in place in GuangZhou (Childsight). In this program, teachers measure visual acuity. Those who have 20/40 or worse distance vision will be invited to a parent information night. At this time, information will be provided about the study and those interested in participating will sign a record of informed assent with parental permission. The clinical testing will be conducted at a later visit by an optometrist attending the school. Study questionnaires will be administered and clinical testing of vision including habitual distance vision, refraction and refracted visual acuity.
The duration of the study will be up to 2 months and will require a total of three visits. After the initial visit, the dispensing visit will be arranged based on time to supply spectacles and the final visit planned for 1 month after receipt of spectacles.
This study will be masked. The persons interviewing the patients about quality of life and those testing vision on both visits will not know the intervention status of the subjects.
