Pilot operational research study into the durability, usability and wearability of eyeglasses in Sierra Leone

The study aimed to generate evidence about patient health-seeking behaviour, the sustainability of eyeglass distribution, and the feasibility of conducting this study on a larger scale throughout Sierra Leone.

The study answered the following research questions:

1. Do patients who received eyeglasses via our project still use them 36-60 months after distribution?
2. Do patients replace eyeglasses, and if so, which services do they use for replacement (and at what cost)?
3. What are patients’ experiences with the wearability and durability of eyeglasses? How feasible is it to follow up with patients who received eyeglasses 36-60 months prior?

This pilot study in one location in Freetown provided evidence about the sustainability of near-vision eye glasses distribution, and information about the feasibility of carrying out this study on a wider scale across Sierra Leone.

Between three and five years later, 85.6 per cent of participants were still using their near-vision eyeglasses. About a third (34.9 per cent) were using their original glasses and about a half (50.7 per cent) were using replacement glasses.

Two-thirds of people received replacements from hospitals or health centres, and most spent between 251 and 1,000 Leones (11 to 44 US dollars) on a replacement pair.

More than 95 per cent of study participants had overwhelmingly positive opinions about their original and replacement near-vision eyeglasses. More than half, 57.6 per cent, felt the near-vision eyeglasses positively impacted their ability to work or earn income.

When deciding whether to repeat this study elsewhere in Sierra Leone, considerations include the availability of records, mobile phone service coverage and likelihood of getting sufficiently different findings.

This pilot demonstrates that such a study would be possible. However challenges encountered in mobile service coverage and incomplete and inconsistent patient records are likely to be amplified in rural communities, and thus we anticipate needing a larger sample of registered patients in order to reach sufficient individuals with a telephone survey.

Read our final report to the Livelihood Impact Fund’s eyeglasses initiative (pdf)