Eye care seeking behavior among rural adults in South India: Tamil Nadu Rural Eye Examination (TREE) Study Report 1

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To present the eye care seeking behavior among rural adults in South India. Methods: This cross?sectional study was conducted between 2019 and 2020 covering three blocks of the Thiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, India. Door?to?door survey was performed to collect demographic information, status of literacy, occupation, and details of previous eye examination. Distance visual acuity was tested for individuals available in the house using a log MAR (logarithm of minimum angle of resonance) chart. Association between demographic details, details of previous eye examination, and status of vision was analyzed using logistic regression. Results: A data of 12,913 individuals were included for the analysis, of which 6460 (50.03%) were females. Of the total individuals, 2007 (15.54%) had undergone an eye examination previously. There were 1639 (28.50%) people who had a vision less than 0.2 log MAR in at least one eye. The odds of reported ‘previous eye examination’ were more among females [odds ratio (OR) 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32–1.66, P < 0.001]; individuals aged above 60 years [OR 11.46, 95% CI 9.44–13.91, P < 0.001], between 40 and 60 years [OR 10.43, 95% CI 8.85–12.30, P < 0.001], and between 18 and 40 years [OR 2.48, 95% CI 2.16–2.84, P < 0.001]; illiterates (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.45–2.15, P < 0.001); and farmers (OR 1.32 95% CI 1.12–1.55, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The study presents the utilization of eye care among rural South Indian adults. Almost 84.46% of individuals had not undergone any eye examination. Robust measures to promote eye care management would help in effective utilization of eye care services among rural adults.