Awareness About Glaucoma Management Among Physicians in Riyadh: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Medical Education

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Optic nerve damage in glaucoma necessitates early detection and management.
• Frontline physicians play a critical role in identifying and referring glaucoma patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess glaucoma knowledge among primary and secondary care physicians in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• To evaluate physicians' examination, management, and referral practices for glaucoma.
• To identify gaps in physician competency regarding glaucoma care.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 126 physicians (GPs, emergency, internal, family physicians).
• Utilized a validated self-administered questionnaire covering demographics, glaucoma risk factors, knowledge, examination, management, and referral.
• Data collected from physicians in Riyadh-based hospitals and medical centers.

Main Results:

• Overall glaucoma knowledge score was suboptimal at 34.2%.
• 88.7% of physicians felt unqualified to manage glaucoma, despite awareness of some medications.
• While 93.7% recognized the need for urgent referral for elevated intraocular pressure, only 33.3% were comfortable with tonometry.

Conclusions:

• A significant majority of physicians exhibit poor glaucoma knowledge, impacting their referral practices.
• There is a critical need to enhance glaucoma awareness, examination skills, and referral practices among frontline physicians.
• Interventions targeting physician education are essential to mitigate glaucoma-related vision impairment.