Mohammad Abdulaziz, Alayed Fatimah M, Alharbi Lamees, Alharbi Shikhah G, Alkhalifah Faisal, Alfurayji Razan S
Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, SAU.
College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 30;17(3):e81462. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81462. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Introduction Retinal detachment (RD) is a vision-threatening ocular emergency requiring prompt recognition and intervention to prevent permanent visual impairment. Despite its clinical significance, awareness of RD symptoms among medical students in Saudi Arabia, particularly in the Qassim region, remains unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and confidence of medical students in recognizing RD symptoms and identifying educational gaps that could impact early diagnosis and management. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2023 to July 2024 among 270 medical students from three medical colleges in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire covering demographics, academic level, ophthalmology course completion, and RD knowledge. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests, was performed using SPSS Version 26, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant. Results Among the participants, 70% were female and 87% were aged 20-25 years. Although 73% had completed an ophthalmology course, only 7.8% had encountered RD cases. The most recognized symptom was flashing lights (25.1%), followed by floaters (22.2%). Misconceptions were prevalent, with 21.1% believing that RD was always associated with pain and 6.7% perceiving it as self-limiting. Confidence in identifying RD symptoms was low, with only 4.4% of the students feeling very confident. Significant associations were found between academic level and knowledge of RD symptoms (p=0.01) and perceptions of its self-limiting nature (p=0.02). Conclusion This study highlights substantial gaps in medical students' awareness and confidence in identifying RD symptoms and emphasizes the need for targeted educational interventions. Enhancing ophthalmological training in medical curricula could improve early detection and management, ultimately contributing to improved patient outcome.
引言 视网膜脱离（RD）是一种威胁视力的眼部急症，需要及时识别并进行干预，以防止永久性视力损害。尽管其具有临床重要性，但沙特阿拉伯医科学生，特别是卡西姆地区的医科学生，对RD症状的认识仍未得到充分研究。本研究旨在评估医科学生对识别RD症状的认识和信心，并找出可能影响早期诊断和治疗的教育差距。方法 2023年9月至2024年7月，对沙特阿拉伯卡西姆地区三所医学院的270名医科学生进行了一项横断面研究。使用经过验证的自填式问卷收集数据，内容包括人口统计学、学术水平、眼科课程完成情况和RD知识。使用SPSS 26版进行统计分析，包括卡方检验，p值<0.05被认为具有统计学意义。结果 在参与者中，70%为女性，87%年龄在20 - 25岁之间。虽然73%的学生完成了眼科课程，但只有7.8%的学生遇到过RD病例。最常被识别的症状是闪光感（25.1%），其次是飞蚊症（22.2%）。误解普遍存在，21.1%的人认为RD总是伴有疼痛，6.7%的人认为它是自限性的。识别RD症状的信心较低，只有4.4%的学生感到非常有信心。在学术水平与RD症状知识（p = 0.01）及其自限性认知（p = 0.02）之间发现了显著关联。结论 本研究突出了医科学生在识别RD症状的认识和信心方面存在的重大差距，并强调了有针对性的教育干预的必要性。加强医学课程中的眼科培训可以改善早期发现和治疗，最终有助于改善患者预后。
