Level of awareness among non-medical students toward keratoconus, Abha,Saudi Arabia

Background: Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive, bilateral, asymmetric, ectatic disease that leads to progressive corneal thinning and protrusion, which results in progressive visual impairment and irregular astigmatism. Early detection plays a critical role in the management and prognosis. Awareness of the population at risk improves early screening and utilization of eye health care. The aim of the present study is to assess the awareness level among non-medical students toward KC, Abha city, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the nonmedical students from January 2019 to May 2019 in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 393 nonmedical students were randomly selected through the university admission deanship records. Electronic consents were obtained from all participants. Close-ended questionnaires were circulated using the university official electronic mails. Results: A total of 374 females and 19 males were responded. Among those who had poor awareness, majority were female (95.7%) and belonged to the age group of 17–21 years (68.3%). Similar pattern was seen in the study participants with fair awareness. However, 57.1% of the study participants with good awareness belonged to the age group of 22–26 years. Conclusion: Visual impairment is a common condition among young population. Onset and severity of KC are diverse among countries. Early screening for the population at risk could hasten the appropriate medical intervention and reduce the burden of this condition. The level of awareness considered a key factor for a better utilization of the eye health care.