A glint or a squint should make you think A randomised controlled study to determine the impact of an eye-health awareness pamphlet for parents.

Background: Primary caregivers are usually the first to notice a health problem in their child. However, they are not currently provided with information about signs of eye problems in children. Researchers in this study developed an information pamphlet with parents outlining stages of vision development through childhood, signs of eye problems to be alert to and what to do if these signs are observed. Research Question: The main aim of this study was to determine whether providing parents with an eye-health information pamphlet could improve their knowledge about signs of children’s eye problems and change how quickly they would intend to seek advice from a health professional. Participant Characteristics: 518 pregnant women were enrolled. Australian-born - 66% ; English as 2nd language- 23%; 64% - first-time parent; background in healthcare - 21%; 73%- tertiary educated. Key Results: Characteristics of women in both intervention and control groups were the same. Women in the intervention group were: 1) more likely to be concerned and more likely to seek help sooner if they saw a white pupil in a photo of their baby; 3) no more likely to be concerned but more likely to seek help sooner if they saw a turned eye in their baby. Limitations: single centre study; majority tertiary-educated; follow-up survey delivered after a short period.