Living With An Ocular Prosthesis Following a Traumatic Injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Living With An Ocular Prosthesis Following a Traumatic Injury: A Thematic Analysis
IRAS ID
217017
Contact name
Martin Dempster
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Question:
What are the psychosocial factors/challenges of wearing an ocular prosthesis following a traumatic injury?
Why conduct this research?:
Research indicates the potential for elevated levels of depression and anxiety and reduced Quality of Life (QOL) measurements amongst individuals wearing ocular prostheses in comparison to the general population (Mc Bain et al., 2014; Ye et al., 2015; Ahn et al., 2010).
Increased understanding of the psychosocial implications of wearing an ocular prosthesis will support service development including holistic approaches to care management for this client group.
Reason for chosen design:
To date, research interested in exploring factors which may increase susceptibility to emotional distress in ocular prosthesis wearers has primarily used quantitative research methods e.g. questionnaires (e.g. Mc Bain et al., 2014). The limitations of research methods relying heavily on quantitative methods is well recognized in the wider health literature (e.g. Rumsey & Harcourt, 2005). Qualitative approaches offers direct access to lived experience without the constraints of a questionnaire based approach. As such this study fills a gap in the current literature base.
What Participants will be eligible?:
This project will explore the experiences of individuals who wear an ocular prosthesis by conducting individual semi structured interviews, lasting up to 90mins each, with 10-12 individuals who access services from the Belfast Trust Artificial Eye Service. Interviews will take place at either the Artificial Eye Service or place or convenience to the participant.
Given research suggests that individuals who receive facial injury as a result of a traumatic injury may be particularly susceptible to psychological distress (De Sousa, 2010) this project will focus on ocular prosthesis users who have lost an eye through a traumatic injury, for example, a work related accident, sporting related accident, car crash or personal assault.
REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
16/NI/0255
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion