This study was designed to determine the level of awareness and attitudes toward refractive correction methods in a randomly selected general population in Mashhad, Iran.

A cluster random sampling method was applied to choose 193 subjects aged 12 years and above from Mashhad population

Overall 39% of participants had clear perceptions of 'ophthalmologist' and 'optometrist' terms. Considerable percentages of 80.3%, 87% and 71% of respondents had no information of contact lens application instead of spectacles, cosmetic contact lenses and contact lenses with both refractive correction and cosmetic properties, respectively. 82.5% of participants were not aware that they could do refractive surgery to improve their eyesight and decrease depending on spectacles. Awareness about contact lens and refractive surgery adverse side effects stood at the minimum percentages of only 16% and 8%, respectively.

Awareness and perception about refractive correction methods are low among the participants of this study. Although, ophthalmologists are the first source of consultation among respondents on their sight impairments, a predominant percentage of subjects are not aware of even noticeable differences between an ophthalmologist and an optometrist. These data emphasize the necessity for proper public health education on ophthalmic care