Abstract
Purpose :
To determine the level of the public knowledge, attitudes and practices related to common eye diseases in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Methods :
A cross-sectional population- based survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire on awareness, knowledge, attitude and practices related to eye diseases. Stratified, multi-stage, cluster random sampling method was used with sample size 867 adults - 16 years and above -( estimated awareness of cataract 70%, assuming an expected rate of 85%, design effect of 1.5, margin of error 4% with 95% confidence interval), 25% from urban areas and 75% subjects from rural areas. Having heard of the eye disease was defined as awareness and having some understanding of the disease was defined as knowledge. Attitude was assessed from the feelings regarding eye sight and practice was ascertained whether subject had a previous eye examination or not. A pilot study was conducted to validate the questions used in the main study. Statistical package SPSS (version 19) used for analysis to calculate logistic regression and odds ratios for gender, age, education and urban-rural areas
Results :
A total of 782/867 (90.1%) subjects participated in the survey; females 47.4%. Awareness of cataract, refractive error, strabismus, and diabetic retinopathy was high (82.7%, 74.3%, 89.0% and 65.0% respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that awareness of cataract was higher among subjects aged 40 – 49 years (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 0.9-3.4), among those whose education level at masters and above (OR = 7.8; 95% CI = 1.0-59.9). About 83.2% subjects had a positive attitude towards their eye sight; 41.8% subjects reported wearing of spectacles and 43.5% subjects had their eyes examined in last two years. Over half (57.5%) the subjects had knowledge of the nearest eye care facility if within five kilometers of their residence and 43% subjects reported insurance cover. Electronic media were the major source of information about eye health
Conclusions :
Though the awareness levels of common eye diseases were quite high, the knowledge of cataract (10.4%) was poor. There is a need to increase the level of awareness for diseases like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Steps need to be taken to have universal insurance cover as many were not willing to pay the high cost of cataract surgery
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.