Behavioural Challenges in Pediatric Patients During Eye Examination
Keywords:
Child’s Family Background, Optometry Practice Environment, Practitioner’s Behaviour, Child’s Uncooperative BehaviourAbstract
Eyesight problems among children are a serious matter. In many cases, eye problems can be treated if early detection and intervention are administered carefully. However, dealing with uncooperative children during eye examinations is challenging. This study aimed to enlighten the factors influencing a child’s uncooperative behaviours during eye examination in optometry practices. Children aged 4 to 12 years old were selected, and a modified fitting Behavioural Measurement Scale (BMS) was used to measure the child’s uncooperative behaviour during eye examination. The respondents comprised 55 children, 110 parents, 4 optometrists, and 6 non-clinical staff members who were involved in this study. This study identified four key variables that influence uncooperative behaviours among children. Child's family background, optometry practice environment, optometrist's clinical skills, and optometrist's communication skills were noted to have a significant effect on the child’s uncooperative behaviour and explain 97.3% of the model variance. This study shows that emphasis on behaviour management is vital as a crucial aspect during eye examinations. The child’s cooperation during eye examination in an optometry practice is essential to prevent misdiagnosis, mismanagement, and inaccurate results that could lead to poor clinical service delivery and outcomes.
References
[1] Benson, B. J. (2014). Domain of competence: interpersonal and communication skills. Academia Pediatrics, 14(2), S55–S65. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2013.11.016
[2] Churchill Jr, G. A. (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research, 16(1), 64-73.
[3] Ekpenyong, B. N., Naidoo, K., Ahaiwe, K., Ezenwankwo, O., Ndukwe, O., Ogar, E. and Ekanem, E. (2017). Visual status and prevalence of eye disorders among school-age children in southern Nigeria. African Vision and Eye Health, 76(1), 2410-1516.
[4] Jaap Veerkamp, S. J., Vogels, W., ten Cate, J. M. and van Wijk, A.J. (2015). Longitudinal changes in dental fear and coping behaviour in children, adolescents and young adults with cleft lip and/or cleft palate. The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 4;52(4), 73-80.
[5] Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill, https://www.scirp.org/reference/ReferencesPapers?ReferenceID=1867797
[6] Omar, R., Wan Mohd Hafidz, W. A., and Knight, V. F. (2019). Status of visual impairment among indigenous (orang asli) school children in Malaysia. BMC Public Health, 19(4), 543- 548.
[7] Pallant, J. (2011). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS, 4th ed., Allen and Unwin Publication.
[8] Pascual M., Huang J., Maguire, M. G., Kulp, M. T., Quinn, G. E. and Ciner, E. (2014). Risk factors for amblyopia in the vision in preschoolers study. Ophthalmology, 121(3), 622–629. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2013.08.040
[9] Seema, S. (2018). Sampling Techniques. Available at: https://towardsdatascience.com/sampling-techniques-a4e34111d808
[10] Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R. (2013). Research Methods. For Business: A Skill Building Approach (6th ed.). West. Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
[11] Stein, J. D., Andrews, C., Musch, D. C., Green, C. and Lee, P. P. (2016). Sight-threatening ocular diseases remain underdiagnosed among children of less affluent families. Health Affairs, 35(8), 1359-1366.
[12] Saif Alrasheed1 (2023). Systematic review and meta-analysis of childhood visual impairment in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, EMHJ – Vol. 29 No. 6, 1020-3397-2023-2906-482-490-eng.pdf
[13] One in 10 Children in Malaysia has an undiagnosed vision problem: Study by Tharanya Arumugam, March 2017, https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2017/03/217734
[14] Visual impairment - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/
[15] From Playgrounds To Tablets: How Digital Life Is Impacting Children’s Eyes, Published on August 19, 2025, https://www.sunwaymedicalvelocity.com.my
[16] Eye care, vision impairment and blindness: Refractive errors, 11 February 2026, https://www.who.int
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal on Management Education and Emerging Technology(IJMEET)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
