Background: Cataract is the most common cause of blindness worldwide. It develops slowly and leads to blindness if left untreated. However, early detection and treatment of cataracts are largely dependent on the publics awareness of the disease. This study aims to identify the awareness of the population in Saudi Arabia toward cataract.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional quantitative survey study carried out online in Saudi Arabia, including public members. The study used the Arabic version of a self-administered, internet-based questionnaire. It included questions about responders demographic characteristics and questions to evaluate their knowledge about the disease. Data analysis was executed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26.
Results: Among the 494 participants who responded to this survey, 81.2% were female. 5.3% had cataracts, and 18.4% had a positive family history of cataracts. As for the knowledge about cataracts, none of the participants had sufficient knowledge regarding the risk factors, whereas most of them (71.5%) had sufficient experience regarding treatment. Overall, adequate knowledge about cataract was observed among 52.6% of the
participants. The most prevalent source of information was the internet (15.6%), followed by more than one source (11.9%) and academic courses (11.5%). Results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participants who did not know if they have a cataract or not were more likely to have insufficient knowledge about the disease (adjusted odds ratio = 5.18, 95% class interval: 2.41-11.09, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Although the Saudi populations knowledge and awareness about cataracts are acceptable, further improvement is required.
Key words: Cataract, general population, awareness, Saudi Arabia
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