PUBLIC AWARENESS REGARDING GLAUCOMA IN HAIL, SAUDI ARABIA

Glaucoma is a group of diseases characterized by progressive irreversible optic neuropathy, increased intraocular pressure and characteristic glaucomatous visual field defects. The World Health Organization indicated that glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. The attempts to reduce the burden of disease will be unfruitful if addressed without improving the awareness levels of the general population. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the extent of community awareness regarding glaucoma in Hail region, Saudi Arabia. The study included 1143 participants, a statistically significant correlation was found between participants' level of awareness and each of marital status (p-value=0.007), occupation (p-value <0.001), and positive family history of glaucoma (p-value <0.001). 44.2% of the participants knew that glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, 56.3% believed that glaucoma is related to an increased intraocular pressure, and 76.5% knew that glaucoma affects vision. 65.5 % went for above 40 as the recommended age for glaucoma screening. 15.4% chose eye drops as the treatment of glaucoma, 22.6% chose surgery and 62% chose both. The majority of our participants had poor level of knowledge about glaucoma.