A lot of physical problems have easy solutions that are only restrictive in terms of cost. For example, anyone with poor eyesight can just use glasses, but buying glasses may not be feasible for everyone. One study investigated a solution to this problem by giving free eyeglasses to children in China with vision problems and examining the outcomes (Guan et al., 2018). This article will briefly review the methods used in that study as well as the findings obtained.
Methods
The participants in this study were from 252 public schools in two rural provinces in China. These schools had 19,934 students in total, and 2,851 of these students were found to be myopic according to an optometrist. The experimental part of this study was simple: some of these students (the control group) were given prescriptions for eyeglasses, while the rest (the treatment group) were given fully subsidized eyeglasses at no charge. A baseline survey was administered to all of the students at baseline. The baseline survey consisted of two surveys, with the first survey given to the children and the second survey given to their parents. The survey provided to children asked about the following:
- Age
- Gender
- Eyeglasses wear
- Awareness of refractive status
- Knowledge of vision care
- Boarding status at school
- Estimated number of hours spent studying per day
The survey provided to the parents asked about the following:
- Migration status for work
- Family assets
- Education
In addition, the mental health of each student was assessed at baseline and at seven months after the eyeglasses were provided using the Mental Health Test (MHT). The MHT is a variation of the Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale and measures anxiety in children. The researchers also conducted an “unannounced spot check” to verify whether the children were wearing their glasses.
Results
The following results were obtained:
- On average, providing eyeglasses did not significantly affect the mental health conditions of these students. However, examining subgroups of students yielded significant results:
- For students with “low intensity” studying levels, their learning anxiety rose significantly, which was a surprising outcome.
- For students with “high intensity” studying levels, their learning anxiety and physical anxiety both decreased significantly, and they showed a significant improvement in MHT score.
Wrapping up
Interestingly, providing free eyeglasses to students who needed them did not significantly improve their mental health outcomes regarding anxiety. However, certain students (those with “high intensity” studying levels) did see significant improvements in anxiety and mental health outcomes. Since providing free eyeglasses is such a simple step, this suggests that it is worth providing glasses to myopic students for free, even if only some of them will benefit.
References
Guan, H., Wang, H., Du, K., Zhao, J., Boswell, M., Shi, Y., Qian, Y. (2018). The Effect of Providing Free Eyeglasses on Children’s Mental Health Outcomes in China: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(12), E2749. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122749.
