COMPLIANCE WITH SAFETY GLASSES WEAR IN MONOCULAR CHILDREN

Many ophthalmologists prescribe polycarbonate ''safety glasses'' to pr otect the remaining eye of monocular patients. Others do not routinely do so when the remaining eye is emmetropic since they feel compliance is poor. To evaluate compliance with safety glasses wear in these chi ldren, we reviewed the charts of all children (<21 years old) treated with enucleation and followed at the University of Iowa by the Pediatr ic Ophthalmology Service between 1962 and 1991. Safety glasses were de fined as polycarbonate lenses in a frame suitable for protective wear with spherical equivalent less-than-or-equal-to -0.75 or less-than-or- equal-to +2.00 diopters. Fifty-six patients were followed after enucle ation. Forty-six of these patients met the inclusion criteria and 33 p atients were available for follow up. Eighty-five percent of patients wear safety glasses greater-than-or-equal-to 50% of their waking hours ; 61% wear them greater-than-or-equal-to 80% of the time; 33% wear the m 100% of their waking hours. Twenty-one of the 33 patients participat e in sports. One hundred percent of the female participants and 80% to 93% of the male participants wear safety glasses, goggles, or face sh ields during sports. Fifteen of the 33 respondents reported at least o ne potentially serious accident in which the safety glasses had protec ted the good eye. Compliance with safety glasses wear appears to be go od in this population and may prevent injury to the remaining eye.