Abstract

Background: It is estimated that there are 36 million blind and 217 million people with moderate and severe visual impairment worldwide. The data on the magnitude of visual disabilities in Saudi Arabia among all ages is not available in recent years. The present study was aimed at assessing the rate of awareness of common and blinding eye diseases and their determinants among population in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Methodology: This cross-sectional survey of adult citizens in Makkah was conducted from April to May 2019. The participants' demography, social determinants, and eye disease status in the family were collected. Information on the awareness of common and chronic eye diseases was collected using 24 questions. The sum of the responses on awareness was graded as positive or negative and correlated to determinants.
Results: We surveyed 471 citizens. Of those, 287 (61%) were female. The mean age of the participants was 28 ± 10 years. The median score of awareness was 1.0 (the interquartile range was 0.0; 3.0) [minimum of -6.0 and maximum of 9.0]. The awareness was positive in 298 participants [63.1%; (95% confidence interval (CI) of 58.9; 67.6)] and negative in 173 participants [36.9%; (95% CI of 32.4; 41.1)].
Conclusions: Awareness among citizens in Makkah's city was positive in more than half of the participants. There is a need to further improve the knowledge of Makkah's adult citizens through health education using modern tools favored by adult citizens of Makkah.

Key words: Eye diseases, awareness, eye health education