RESUMEN
Background Cataract is a condition that affects the lens, causing separation and/or aggregation of proteins and disrupting the regular alignment of cell fibers. Cataracts have many known risk factors contributing to their development, such as diabetes, oral steroid therapy, smoking, and high body mass index. Good knowledge about cataracts may improve the quality of treatment through early diagnosis. Unfortunately, poor knowledge is still a significant barrier to reducing blindness caused by cataracts in developing countries. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-validated questionnaire and online questionnaires. Participants were approached through multiple social media platforms from June 2022 to August 2022. Results Of the 307 participants, with a mean age of 32.4 ± 12.8 years, 51.5% had good knowledge of cataracts and their related risk factors, while 28.7% had a favorable attitude about cataracts. Of all participants, 50.5% reported a diagnosis of cataract. The majority of participants, 58.6%, who did not have cataracts, had good knowledge versus 44.5% of others with (p = 0.014). Moreover, 75% of participants aged 50 years or older had good overall cataract knowledge levels compared to 38.9% of others aged 30-39 years (p = 0.002). Conclusions Cataracts are a preventable cause of blindness that can be corrected by surgery. In this study, we discovered extremely concerning rates of knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding cataracts among the populations of Hail City. More educational programs should be directed toward spreading knowledge about cataracts to patients and the public.
RESUMEN
Introduction Amblyopia, also known as the lazy eye, is the reduction of the best-corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes that cannot be attributed exclusively to a structural abnormality of the eye. This study investigated the Hail population's awareness of amblyopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from May to October 2022. Data entry and analysis were done using RStudio (R version 4.1.1). Results This study included 496 of the general population (23.8% males and 76.2% females), and the majority of them had a university degree (65.7%). Of the population, 52.4% knew the definition of amblyopia, 43.4% knew the treatment of amblyopia, and 85.1% knew the importance of checking the child's vision before school to ensure normal development. In 35.7% of the population, the main source of information was the internet and social media. The median knowledge score of participants was 4 (interquartile range (IQR): 3-5) with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 9. Based on the univariate analysis, participants aged 41 years or older had significantly lower knowledge scores (ß = -0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.81 to -0.99, p = 0.049), whereas respondents with a positive family history of amblyopia had a significantly higher knowledge score (ß = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.02 to 0.61, p = 0.034). Conclusions This study assessed the awareness and knowledge of amblyopia among the population in Hail city. According to our data, we found a significantly poor awareness and knowledge compared to other big cities in the same country such as Riyadh and Jeddah. This indicates that knowledge in smaller cities is deficient in enough and accurate sources of knowledge of eye conditions.