Do glasses change children’s perceptions? Effects of eyeglasses on peer- and self-perception

Associations of 24-hour movement behaviors with externalizing and internalizing problems among children and adolescents prescribed with eyeglasses/contact lenses

Background

Emerging evidence points towards the psychological benefits of meeting 24-hour movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines, but such associations have not yet been investigated among children and adolescents of prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. To this end, we examined associations of meeting 24-HMB guidelines with internalizing and externalizing challenges in this population.

Methods

We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health, a cross-sectional survey including a representative sample of US children and adolescents. Data on movement behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary behavior operationalized via screen time [ST], and sleep duration [SL]) and internalizing and externalizing problems were collected through caregiver proxy reports. Caregivers completed questionnaires for 6030 (2799 girls) US children and adolescents of prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the above-presented associations.

Results

Only 7.1 % of those prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses met all three 24-HMB guidelines, while they were more likely to meet SL guideline alone (32.1 %) in relation to other independent guidelines including PA (2.5 %) and ST (10.9 %). Compared to not meeting any of the three 24-HMB guidelines, meeting at least two guidelines (25.22 %) was significantly linked to lower odds of internalizing problems and externalizing problems.

Conclusion

Meeting at least two components of the 24-HMB guidelines was beneficially linked to internalizing and externalizing problems. Thus, strategies or intervention programs that focus on meeting 24-HMB guidelines should be implemented among children and adolescents of those prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses to foster coping with psychological issues.

The Effect of Wearing Eyeglasses on the Perception of Attractiveness, Confidence, and Intelligence

Introduction

Several studies investigated the effect of wearing eyeglasses on self-esteem measures; however, most of these studies were conducted on western populations. We aim to assess the perception of attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence of young people of college-going age with and without glasses among university students.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in five main Jordanian universities. We designed a survey with photos of four people with and without glasses (a total of eight photos). Participants rated the photos on a scale of 10 regarding attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence.

Results

A total of 517 participants were included in this study. We found significantly higher ratings for all domains of pictures without glasses compared to the same pictures with glasses. Moreover, participants not wearing glasses provided significantly higher attractiveness scores for most pictures not wearing glasses.

Conclusion

In our study on Jordanian college students of Arabian ethnicity, we found that eyeglasses may have a negative impact on a person’s image in regard to attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence.

Effects of facial features and styling elements on perceptions of competence, warmth, and hireability of male professionals

Few studies investigated the effects of facial characteristics on stereotyping in the business context. Using a 2 (beard/no beard) x 2 (acne/no acne) x 2 (tie/no tie) x 2 (eyeglasses/no eyeglasses) between subjects' design, two representative samples of 364 and 711 participants rated different stimuli of male subjects on dimensions of competence, warmth and hireability. Based on 4,215 observations, results show acne has a negative and eyeglasses a positive effect on both competence and warmth. Wearing a necktie has a positive effect on competence and a negative effect on warmth. Finally, beardedness has a negative effect on warmth. We also observe that competence has a greater effect on hireability than warmth. We discuss the findings in the context of theoretical and managerial implications for male job applicants as well as HR practices.

Utilizing storytelling to promote emotional well-being of children with a distinct physical appearance: The case of children who wear eyeglasses

This study explored the effectiveness of storytelling in supporting children with unusual physical traits. Participants were forty-eight children, aged 9 – 12 who, due to various eye diseases, wear eyeglasses. They completed various standardized self-report measures, both before and after participation, in one of the six intervention groups. The measures assessed shyness and social anxiety symptoms, loneliness and social dissatisfaction, perception of negative evaluation, satisfaction with one’s appearance, and anxiety regarding physical appearance. The intervention consisted of six 90-min group sessions and included both individual and group activities. The results lend support to the hypothesis that storytelling can significantly contribute to the emotional well-being of children, with a distinct physical appearance.

Ocular health practices by dental surgeons in Southern Nigeria

Background

Dental professionals are among the occupational groups that experience ocular injuries and problems as they perform their daily dental works. The purpose of the study was to determine the ocular health practices by dental surgeons in Southern Nigeria.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on dental surgeons working in Southern Nigerian tertiary oral healthcare centers using self-developed validated questionnaire as the tool of data collection.

Results

Of the 148 respondents, 27 (18.2%) rated their ocular health as poor/fair. More than half 82 (55.4%) of the respondents have undergone professional eye examination with a quarter 20 (24.3%) of them having received it, in the last 6 months. Symptomatic care was the major reason for the last visit. Medicated glasses use was found to be significantly associated with perception of ocular health and receipt of professional eye examination. A total of 32 (21.6%) and 2 (1.4%) of the respondents reported non-use of eye goggles and face mask respectively. Non-availability and associated visual clarity with goggle use were the main inhibitor to the regular safety eye goggles use among the respondents. The main suggested ways among the respondents of improving goggle use were training and provision of goggles free of charge for dental surgeons. Only 32 (21.6%) of the respondents would be uncomfortable reminding their colleagues on need to use safety eye goggle while attending to patients.

Conclusion

Data from this study revealed that a significant proportion of the respondents rated the ocular health as excellent/good and do not regularly indulge in eye safety practices. Implementation of recommendation by the respondents may improve occupational eye safety among dental surgeons in Southern Nigeria.