A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Awareness, Self-Care Practices About Glaucoma Among Doctors in South India.

Introduction Glaucoma is the major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Glaucoma affects the optic nerve head in the posterior segment of the eye and the defects lead to permanent blindness if left untreated. Poor knowledge about this disease is strongly correlated with delayed diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate doctors' knowledge and self-care practices about glaucoma at a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, presuming that healthcare professionals constitute an effective conduit between the population at risk and ophthalmologists. Methods We carried out this cross-sectional survey among 252 doctors practicing allopathic medicine in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai from July 2022 to December 2022. We have collected 252 samples by simple random sampling method. We have excluded doctors who have a degree in ophthalmology or practicing it. The data collection was interview-based using a pre-designed, structured questionnaire that contained questions on sociodemographic characteristics age, gender, and specialty in medicine. It also included questions assessing knowledge and self-care practices about glaucoma among doctors of various specialties other than ophthalmology. We entered the collected data into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA), cleaned it, and analyzed it using SPSS version 16. Results The mean age of the doctors was 33.24 ± 10.90 years in this study. About 132 (52.4%) of the study participants were females. Only 91 (36.1%) of respondents knew that glaucoma may permanently impair vision, but nearly 240 (95.2%) believed that it could be treated. Two hundred seventeen (86.1%) participants were aware that glaucoma runs in families. About 218(86.5%) doctors were aware that glaucoma destroys the optic nerve in the eye, and 171 (67.9%) knew that peripheral vision loss happens before central vision loss. Only 146 (57.9%) of physicians had their eye pressure examined. About 232(92.1%) doctors had their eyes checked routinely. Only 42 (16.7%) of physicians took part in glaucoma awareness campaigns. Nearly 199 (79%) of those surveyed thought it was required to check a patient's family members for glaucoma. We note that among doctors, the knowledge and practice score of correct replies was strongly connected with work experience (P value = 0.035). Conclusion The need for extensive eye health education and information distribution for healthcare workers should be stressed. Teaching the hospital staff about the symptoms and prognosis of this "silent thief of sight" might be a crucial first step in providing preventive ophthalmic treatment.