Alshehri Arwa Mohammed, Feroze Kaberi Biswas, Amir Moharib Khaled
Medical Intern, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol. 2019 Aug 26;26(2):89-94. doi: 10.4103/meajo.MEAJO_200_18. eCollection 2019 Apr-Jun.
This study aims to assess the level of awareness about the effect of sickle cell disease (SCD) on the eye and vision and factors influencing SCD awareness.
The study design was cross-sectional and was carried out in 2018 among the general population in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. It was conducted using an online, validated questionnaire, after obtaining consent from the participants. The outcome variable was 557. The level of awareness was correlated to demographic information.
The study population was 557 Saudi adults. 84 were male and 473 female. Their mean age was 22 ± 23 years. Majority of the participants (57.3%) were not aware that SCD could affect the eye and vision. There was no difference in the knowledge regarding ocular complications of SCD among different ages and sexes.
The result of this study indicates the need for raising the knowledge regarding the disease, its ocular complications, screening methods, and management. Health educations campaigns would be an effective tool in increasing SCD awareness.
本研究旨在评估对镰状细胞病（SCD）对眼睛和视力影响的知晓程度以及影响SCD知晓情况的因素。
本研究设计为横断面研究，于2018年在沙特阿拉伯东部省份的普通人群中开展。在获得参与者同意后，使用经过验证的在线问卷进行调查。结果变量为557。知晓程度与人口统计学信息相关。
研究人群为557名沙特成年人。其中84名男性，473名女性。他们的平均年龄为22±23岁。大多数参与者（57.3%）不知道SCD会影响眼睛和视力。不同年龄和性别的参与者在SCD眼部并发症知识方面没有差异。
本研究结果表明有必要提高对该疾病及其眼部并发症、筛查方法和管理的认识。健康教育活动将是提高SCD知晓率的有效工具。
