SUJİT BAHEKAR, PRADNYA BHALERAO, SMİTA A PAWAR
International Journal of Academic Medicine and Pharmacy - 2023;5(4):47-50
Purpose: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness after cataract and the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Diagnosis is often made at the late stage of the condition when much damage to the eye has already occurred. Therefore, there is urgent need to address this condition to prevent blindness among general population. Methods: hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient department of Ophthalmology in a tertiary care centre of central India. Institutional Ethical Committee approval was taken. 673 patients attending Ophthalmology OPD were included in the study as per the sample size. Written consent was obtained. Socio demographic information was recorded and Awareness and Knowledge questions related to Glaucoma were asked. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. Results: people in age group of 40-60 years were more aware compared to other groups with Chi square test (X2=10.33). The results were statistically significant with p value (0.0057). Awareness levels among male and female were not statistically significant with X2=1.25 and p value (0.26). The major sources of awareness in this study were magazines, television (TV), and other media followed by information from doctors. Awareness level about symptoms, treatment was very low compared to other similar studies. Conclusion: Effective awareness measures and use of mass media for spreading the awareness irrespective of their sex, literacy and economic background, only can prevent the blinding consequences of the disease by people seeking early medical attention.
