TITLE:
The Awareness of Keratoconus among General Population in Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Rahaf Mohammed Alruwaili, Abeer Surihan Alharbi, Omar Ali Alghamdi, Yahya Abdulrahman Alyahya, Nouf Mohammed Albalawi, Sameer Sohail Alostaz, Omar Ahmed Asiri, Khalid Alarfaj
KEYWORDS:
Ophthalmology, Inflammation, Keratoconus, Blindness
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ophthalmology,
Vol.11 No.1,
February
25,
2021
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Keratoconus (KCN) is one of the degenerative corneal disorders, which causes impairment in normal visual acuity with a higher prevalence in Saudi Arabia. The study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge regarding KCN, its risk factors, and management among the Saudi population. Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire distributed through online platforms. A mixture of convenience and snowball sampling techniques was adopted for sample collection. Our analysis included a final sample size of 837 participant responses. The questionnaire had items related to sociodemographic characteristics (5 items), knowledge (10 items), and source of information (1 item). The mean knowledge scores were calculated and categorized (good, fair, and poor) to assess each participant’s knowledge. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to determine the statistical association between categorical variables. Results: The mean knowledge score was found to be 4.12 ± 2.6, and 67.5% of the participants showed “poor” scores. There was no statistically significant association of knowledge scores observed with any of the sociodemographic details. It was agreed by 76% and 42.5% that genetic predisposition and chronic eye inflammation could predispose to KCN. Only 38.1% (n = 157) agreed that KCN could be treated with optical glasses or contact lenses in the initial stages. Conclusion: The knowledge regarding KCN was not satisfactory among our study population. There is a need to create an increased level of awareness for KCN. Health awareness programs and community campaigns should be organized to raise awareness regarding KCN and better eye health care utilization.