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Background:Optometry is a primary health-care profession (PHCP) and this study aimed to elucidate the factors influencing the choice of optometry as a career for Saudi students, the students' perceptions of optometry and the effect of gender. Methods: Two hundred and forty-seven students whose average age was 21.7 ± 1.5 (SD) years and who are currently enrolled in two colleges of optometry in Saudi Arabia-King Saud University (KSU) and Qassim University (QU)-completed self-administered questionnaires. The survey included questions concerning demography, career first choice, career perception and factors influencing career choices. Results: The response rate was 87.6 per cent and there were 161 male (64.9 per cent) students. Seventy-nine per cent of the participants were from KSU (males and females) and 20.6 per cent were from QU (only males). Seventy-three per cent come from Riyadh and 19 per cent are from Qassim province. Regarding the first choice for their careers, the females (92 per cent) were 0.4 times more likely (p = 0.012) to choose optometry than males (78.3 per cent). The males were significantly more likely to be influenced by the following factors: the Doctor of Optometry (OD) programs run at both universities, good salary and prospects (p < 0.05, for all). The women were significantly less likely to be influenced by another individual (p = 0.0004). Generally, more than two-thirds of the respondents viewed the desire to help others, professional prestige and the new OD programs as the three most influential factors in opting for a career in optometry. Conclusion: Females were more likely to opt for a career in optometry and males were more likely to be influenced by the new OD programs, good salary and job prospects. Service provision to others in the community was a primary motivation to opt for a career in optometry among young Saudis. Optometry is a primary health-care profession.1,2 The health-care workforce is influenced by political, societal and economic changes, 3 which can influence the number of health-care professionals in a society. A number of studies have examined students' motivations to opt for particular careers and the practice of those professions; [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] however, many of these studies have been carried out within other health-care professions, such as medicine, 4,6,7 dentistry, 5,13 nursing 9,10 and physiotherapy. 11,12 Only one published study 8 examined students' motivations for a career choice in optometry. To retain an adequate and motivated workforce, it is essential to understand the opinions and expectations of the prospective professionals in that society. 14,15 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is the largest country in the Arabian Peninsula. The population of Saudi Arabia (indigenes and foreigners) rose rapidly from 9.6 million in 1980 to 29.9 million in 2013, with a population of 13 million males (55.2 per cent) and 10.5 million females. 16,17 The remaining 6.4 million are foreigners. This population growth necessitates a corresponding growth i...

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the precision of intraocular pressure measurements obtained by PT100 noncontact tonometry in a handheld and slit lamp-mounted position in comparison with that of Goldmann applanation tonometry in healthy young adults.MethodsSixty eyes from 60 subjects (30 men and 30 women) aged 22 ± 1 (range 20–24) years participated in this study. Triplicate intraocular pressure measurement of a randomly selected eye was obtained by a noncontact tonometer in a handheld and slit lamp-mounted position in a randomized order, with the Goldmann applanation tonometer always performed last. A second measurement session was carried out after one week to assess repeatability.ResultsThe mean ± standard deviation of intraocular pressure readings in the first and second session, respectively, with the three techniques were: handheld position, 14.52 ± 3.28 mmHg and 15.26 ± 2.11 mmHg; slit lamp-mounted position, 14.01 ± 2.80 mmHg and 15.16 ± 2.34 mmHg; and Goldmann applanation tonometer, 14.86 ± 3.26 mmHg and 15.16 ± 2.42 mmHg. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the techniques in the intraocular pressure measurements returned (Goldmann applanation tonometer vs handheld and Goldmann applanation tonometer vs slit lamp-mounted). The Goldmann applanation tonometer measured intraocular pressure 0.34 mmHg higher than handheld and 0.85 mmHg higher than slit lamp-mounted in session 1, and in session 2 Goldmann applanation tonometer intraocular pressure measurement was the same as with the slit lamp-mounted method but lower than with the handheld method by 0.11 mmHg. In PT100 handheld vs slit lamp-mounted comparisons, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between intraocular pressure measurements returned by both techniques in sessions 1 and 2. Intrasession and intersession repeatability coefficients for Goldmann applanation tonometer intraocular pressure and slit lamp-mounted intraocular pressure were similar, and better in comparison with those for handheld intraocular pressure.ConclusionThe Goldmann applanation tonometer and PT100 noncontact tonometer in both positions studied here are reliable, consistent techniques for measurement of intraocular pressure, and can be used interchangeably for obtaining intraocular pressure values in young normal subjects. Repositioning of the PT100 tonometer from hand-held to slit lamp-mounted improved its precision and reduced variation with respect to the Goldmann applanation tonometer.