Awareness Of Eye Diseases Research Articles

Awareness, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy Among Residents of Jazan City, Saudi Arabia.

Eye diseases, particularly diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma, are significant public health challenges globally, affecting quality of life. Diabetic retinopathy, a common diabetes complication, is a leading cause of visual impairment among working-age adults due to chronic hyperglycemia. Despite treatment advances, awareness of this condition remains low, especially in high-risk populations. This study explores the awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding eye health among residents of Jazan City, Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey distributed via social media from August 1 to August 30, 2024. Targeting adults aged 18 and older, the survey assessed demographics, knowledge of eye diseases, and awareness of screening practices. After refining through a pilot test and validation by experts, data were collected anonymously via Google Forms (Google, Mountain View, California, United States) and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). A total of 424 participants completed the survey, comprising 236 females (55.7%) and 186 males (43.9%), with the majority aged 18-45 years (n=379, 89.4%). Significant knowledge gaps were evident, as 284 participants (67%) were unaware of diabetic retinopathy, with only 138 (32.5%) recognizing the condition. Awareness of treatability was limited; 261 participants (61.6%) were uncertain about available treatment options. Social media (n=112, 26.4%) and family or friends (n=106, 25%) were the primary sources of information regarding eye health. While most participants believed in the necessity of regular eye examinations, many had not undergone such screenings. This study reveals critical gaps in knowledge and awareness of eye diseases, particularly diabetic retinopathy, among residents of Jazan City, Saudi Arabia. Although participants generally recognize the importance of eye health, misconceptions about the causes, risk factors, and treatment options for common eye conditions persist. Targeted public health initiatives and educational interventions are essential to enhance awareness and promote proactive eye health behaviors. Improving understanding and access to eye care services can facilitate the early detection and management of eye diseases, ultimately reducing the burden of visual impairment in the community.

Awareness of Common Eye Diseases and Their Risk Factors-A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey among Adults in Poland.

Public knowledge and awareness of eye diseases may influence individuals' behaviors toward the use of eye care services and prevention methods. The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of common eye diseases and their risk factors among adults in Poland as well as to identify factors associated with knowledge of eye diseases. This nationwide cross-sectional web-based survey was carried out in December 2022 on a representative sample of 1076 adults in Poland. Most of the respondents had heard of cataracts (83.6%), glaucoma (80.7%), conjunctivitis (74.3%), and hordeolum (73.8%). Awareness of dry eye syndrome was declared by 50% of respondents, and 40% were aware of retinal detachment. Among the respondents, 32.3% had heard of AMD, and 16.4% had heard of diabetic retinopathy. A lack of awareness of glaucoma was declared by 38.1% of respondents, and 54.3% declared a lack of awareness of risk factors for AMD. Gender, age, and the presence of chronic diseases were the most important factors (p < 0.05) associated with awareness of common eye diseases and risk factors for glaucoma and AMD. This study demonstrated a low level of awareness of common eye diseases among adults in Poland. Personalized communication on eye diseases is needed.

Assessing the impact of peripheral vision on construction site safety

PurposeThis study aims to observe the impact of peripheral vision on construction safety. The study further intends to create awareness of eye diseases in construction safety, an important root cause for most construction-related hazards and accidents.Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on the impact of peripheral vision in terms of construction site safety. Experiments were conducted with construction employees with different qualifications, ages, expertise and previous safety training experience. The experiments were conducted with an experiment set consisting of a tangent screen to measure the peripheral angle of the participants. The study measured peripheral vision, which helped determine the vision field accordingly. In this context, a total of 32 participants were investigated in terms of their peripheral visual angle and the field of vision. The data collected were analyzed in terms of several statistical tests such as One-Sample t-test, multivariate ANOVA and multiple linear regression.FindingsThe results of the study indicated that there are significant differences in peripheral vision in terms of age of participants, work qualification, work experience, area of expertise and previous safety training experience. The study further revealed that most of the participants failed to satisfy both OSHA requirements about peripheral vision, and normal limits defined in the previous literature. The study further implies that participants, who reported previous sight problems or eye diseases are more vulnerable to construction site accidents.Originality/valueConstruction site safety remains a major concern for most construction companies despite the latest developments in technology. Several companies are struggling with poor safety performance, occupational injuries and illnesses, and work-related accidents resulting in fatalities. However, the root causes behind several construction accidents are still vague due to different dynamics in the construction industry. Among these root causes, poor sight, vision and or eye diseases constitute an important part. Hence, the study provides empirical evidence with the workers checked for eye health to help policymakers and industry practitioners in terms of developing awareness for eye-related injuries and accidents and review their safety programs accordingly.

A survey-based study on awareness of eye diseases among population of Bangladesh

Awareness of common eye diseases and their early detection can play a vital role in encouraging people to seek timely eye care and therefore help in reducing the burden of visual impairment. This study was designed to reveal the assessment of awareness of eye diseases among the population of Bangladesh in different locations. For this, a total of 750 respondents were selected by convenient sampling and were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. From this study, we found that only 50% of the respondents were aware of glaucoma and only 35% had knowledge about glaucoma. About 52% of the study population was aware of cataract and 19% of them had knowledge that the risk of cataract increases by getting older. About 38% of the participants had an understanding of night blindness. Diabetes can lead to eye diseases and this was known to 40% of the study population. Only 23% of the respondents were concern about their family’s present eye health condition. Frequency of taking nutritional food for optimum health was very poor. Daily nutritional foods were taken by 17% of the participants. About 36% of study subjects maintained their blood pressure and obesity. From our survey results, it can be implied that the level of awareness and knowledge about common eye diseases among the population of Bangladesh was not satisfactory. Highlighting importance to the tertiary eye care, imposing health education and raising awareness will assist to understand the importance of routine eye examination for early detection and treatment of such conditions.&#x0D; Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2019, 5(4): 292-296

Public Attitudes About Eye and Vision Health.

Understanding the importance of eye health to the US population across ethnic and racial groups helps guide strategies to preserve vision in Americans and inform policy makers regarding priority of eye research to Americans. To understand the importance and awareness of eye health in the US population across ethnic and racial groups. Online nationwide poll created by experienced policy makers in August 2014 designed to understand the importance of eye health in the US population, although the poll was not subjected previously to formal construct-validity testing. The population survey comprised 2044 US adults including non-Hispanic white individuals and minority groups with minority oversampling to provide predicted margins of error no greater than 5%. Respondent attitudes on the importance of eye health, concerns about losing vision, support for eye health research, and awareness of eye diseases and risk factors. Of the 2044 survey respondents, the weighten mean age was 46.2 years, 48% were male, and 11% were uninsured. Sixty three percent reported wearing glasses. Most individuals surveyed (87.5%; 95% CI, 84.5%-90%) believed that good vision is vital to overall health while 47.4% (95% CI, 43.7%-51.1%) rated losing vision as the worst possible health outcome. Respondents ranked losing vision as equal to or worse than losing hearing, memory, speech, or a limb. When asked about various possible consequences of vision loss, quality of life ranked as the top concern followed by loss of independence. Nearly two-thirds of respondents were aware of cataracts (65.8%) or glaucoma (63.4%); only half were aware of macular degeneration; 37.3% were aware of diabetic retinopathy; and 25% were not aware of any eye conditions. Approximately 75.8% and 58.3%, respectively, identified sunlight and family heritage as risk factors for losing vision; only half were aware of smoking risks on vision loss. In this well-characterized survey across all US ethnic and racial groups, vision health was a priority with high support for ongoing research for vision and eye health. Many Americans were unaware of important eye diseases and their behavioral or familial risk factors. The consistency of these findings among the varying ethnic/racial groups underscores the importance of educating the public on eye health and mobilizing public support for vision research.

Underuse of the health care system by persons with diabetes mellitus and diabetic macular edema in the United States.

Thickening of the center of the retina, diabetic macular edema (DME), is the most common cause of visual loss due to diabetes mellitus. Treatment of DME has improved dramatically, and the prompt diagnosis of DME and referral of these patients have become more critical. Nonetheless, awareness of and care for DME in the US population is uncharacterized. To characterize eye care and awareness of eye disease among persons with DME in the general US population. Cross-sectional analysis of data from participants in the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 40 years or older with diabetes mellitus and fundus photographs. Among persons with DME, (1) awareness that diabetes has affected their eyes; (2) report on the last time they visited a diabetes specialist; (3) report on their last eye examination with pupil dilation; and (4) prevalence of visual impairment. In 2010, only 44.7% (95% CI, 27.0%-62.4%) of US adults 40 years or older with DME reported being told by a physician that diabetes had affected their eyes or that they had retinopathy; 46.7% (95% CI, 27.5%-66.0%), that they had visited a diabetes nurse educator, dietician, or nutritionist for their diabetes mellitus more than 1 year ago or never; and 59.7% (95% CI, 43.5%-75.9%), that they had received an eye examination with pupil dilation in the last year. Among persons with DME, 28.7% (95% CI, 12.7%-44.7%) were visually impaired (defined as visual acuity worse than 20/40 in the eye with DME) based on visual acuity at the initial examination and 16.0% (95% CI, 2.5%-29.4%) based on best-corrected visual acuity. Many persons with diabetes mellitus in the United States are not getting care that can prevent visual impairment and blindness. Strategies to increase awareness are warranted, especially given the recent availability of improved therapies for DME.

Awareness of eye diseases and risk factors: identifying needs for health education and promotion in Canada

Background: Little is known about the level of general public knowledge in Canada regarding the risk factors, prevention, and treatment of major blinding eye diseases. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey using self-administered questionnaires of patients presenting to 33 family practitioners' offices in British Columbia. We asked patients' opinions on the “value” of preventing blindness; the possibility of preventing cataract, glaucoma, and macular degeneration; the possibility of treating these conditions; and their knowledge of risk factors. Results: A total of 882 adults completed the questionnaires. Preventing vision loss was reported as one of 2 top health priorities in 28% of the questionnaires, more commonly by those with higher education and non-European ancestry. Overall, 69.2% reported familiarity with cataract as a cause of vision loss, 41.2% with glaucoma, and 20.2% with macular degeneration. Of these, 97.5% recognized the possibility of treatment for cataract, 91.5% for glaucoma, and 77.0% for macular degeneration, yet few respondents knew risk factors (amenable to intervention) for specific eye diseases. Men and younger respondents were more likely to report not knowing risk factors. Chinese-Canadians were least familiar with the association between smoking and cataract. Family history, probably the most important factor to help diagnose glaucoma, was recognized by only 23% of respondents. Interpretation: Although loss of vision was reported as a major medical concern, there is little understanding of the risk factors for different eye diseases. The association of non-European ancestry and low educational attainment with poor knowledge of eye diseases suggests that innovative education programmes in primary and secondary schools and in non-English languages are needed to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices.