title: A survey of the criteria for prescribing in cases of borderline refractive errors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research investigated the reported optometric prescribing criteria of Israeli optometrists.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online questionnaire based on previous studies was distributed via email and social networking sites to optometrists in Israel. The questionnaire surveyed the level of refractive error at which respondents would prescribe for different types of refractive error at various ages with and without symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  124 responses were obtained, yielding a response rate of approximately 12-22%, 92% of whom had trained in Israel. For all refractive errors, the presence of symptoms strongly influenced prescribing criteria. For example, for 10-20 year old patients the degree of hyperopia for which 50% of practitioners would prescribe is +0.75 D in the presence of symptoms but twice this value (+1.50 D) in the absence of symptoms. As might be expected, optometrists prescribed at lower degrees of hyperopia for older compared with younger patients. There was a trend for more experienced practitioners to be less likely to prescribe for lower degrees of myopia and presbyopia. Practitioner gender, country of training, the type of practice environment, and financial incentives were not strongly related to prescribing criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prescribing criteria found in this study are broadly comparable with those in previous studies and with published prescribing guidelines. Subtle indications suggest that optometrists may become more conservative in their prescribing criteria with experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic address: eshneor@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Einat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shneor
authors.affiliation: Institute of Optometry, London, United Kingdom; City University London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Bruce John William
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yehudit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shapira
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gantz
authors.affiliation: Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Ariela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gordon-Shaag
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003261:Contact Lenses; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055656:Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Criterio de prescripción; Errores refractivos; Optical prescription; Optometric prescribing; Prescribing criteria; Prescripción optométrica; Prescripción óptica; Refractive errors; Symptoms; Síntomas