Abstract
Background Progressive additive lenses (PALs) are an increasingly prescribed form of optical compensation to correct refractive error with presbyopia but sometimes with noticeable restrictions that can reduce visual satisfaction.Aim The current study evaluated vision satisfaction rate and any associated problems among Saudi PAL wearers.Setting The study was conducted in Al-Qassim and Al-Riyadh regions, Saudi Arabia.Methods A cross-sectional design was used with a Likert-scale questionnaire survey (LQS) in this study. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21, Graphpad Prism, and MS Excel programmes, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results One hundred and thirty-eight Saudi PALs wearers (87 men [63%] and 51 women [37%]) aged over 40 years participated in the study. Participants completed an online questionnaire concerning their levels of visual satisfaction and reported any complaints while using PALs. The overall results indicated high levels of satisfaction with comfortable vision in all tasks (median = 4 on LQS) with 55% overall vision satisfaction (p = 0.001). A strong association was found between the overall vision satisfaction and seeing when driving, and, also, with reading (p<0.001). The length of time since starting the use of PALs was found to be significantly (p = 0.001) associated with overall satisfaction and associated complaints, while gender and age had no impact on overall vision satisfaction.Conclusion Saudi PAL wearers possess a good level of visual satisfaction while experiencing some difficulties and complaints when using their PALs. Gender and age were not factors that impacted overall visual satisfaction and complaints; however, time since starting to wear PALs was a factor.