Awareness regarding common eye diseases among university students at a public university in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Numerous ocular disorders, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy, are among the leading causes of blindness worldwide. There needs to be more healthcare understanding about these conditions and their consequences to ensure the potential for early management and prevention by delaying medical treatment seeking. As a result, boosting public awareness of eye diseases is critical for early detection and management, helping to lessen the burden of vision disability upon the community. Misunderstandings regarding distinct blinding eye disorders have been examined in Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia; individuals should be informed of them and encouraged to seek available eye care facilities and increase awareness of the condition. The usage of healthcare services in the country considerably helps eliminate blindness induced by ocular disorders. Therefore, this study sought to assess public awareness of common ocular diseases such as glaucoma cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye among university students at a public university in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Cross-sectional research was performed from 20-12-2022 to 19-2-2023. The survey was distributed to participants from a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This research used an electronic self-administered survey distributed randomly to evaluate people's knowledge of major ocular disorders. Seven hundred twenty-six respondents completed the study survey. All participants should meet the following criteria: adults 18 years or older. Individuals who did not consent to participate in this study would be excluded. A total of 585 women and 141 men were surveyed. Knowledge and awareness of ocular illnesses were below acceptable; according to the responses, one-third of them did not know if there are signs and symptoms associated with glaucoma patients, and 56% were unsure of whether having huge eyeballs is normal or not; in addition, medical students showed a higher level of knowledge comparing with other students, similarly, 82.6%, as opposed to 59.3%, were aware that uncontrolled diabetes could result in vision loss due to disorder in the retina. Compared with two-thirds (67.7%) of students from other schools, medical school students correctly identified that various ocular diseases can develop with aging 80.5% (<i>P</i> = 0.001). Education and nationality were not significantly associated with knowledge (<i>P</i> = 0.43 and 0.337, respectively). On the other hand, women had a better understanding than men (12.1 vs. 9.98, <i>P</i> < 0.001). Respondents with eye or systemic disease that could impair eye health had a considerably higher average knowledge score (13.03 3.72 vs. 11.71 3.61, <i>P</i> = 0.04). Universities should give healthcare education and promote knowledge regarding ocular diseases among students to increase knowledge and comprehension of frequent ocular illnesses. In addition, getting counsel from an ophthalmologist is the most crucial step for reducing vision problems since it may aid in early detection, immediate management, compliance, and prevention.