YouTube as a source of information on keratoconus: a social media analysis

Keratoconus (KC) treatment in the early stage is usually with glasses or soft toric contact lenses, in advanced stages rigid gas-permeable corneal or scleral contact lenses are used. Optometrists should be aware of misleading information from online platforms when providing information to keratoconus patients.

Keratoconus is a progressive corneal disease characterised by stromal thinning and corneal ectasia. To the best of our knowledge, there is no study evaluating the popularity, quality, and reliability of videos about keratoconus disease and its treatment published on YouTube. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the credibility, quality, and popularity of YouTube videos about keratoconus.

This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, register-based study. A YouTube search was performed using the keywords 'keratoconus', 'keratoconus disease', 'keratoconus treatment', 'keratoconus cross linking'. The quality and reliability of video content were measured using the DISCERN questionnaire, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) score, and the Global Quality Score (GQS). The video power index was used to evaluate the popularity of the videos.

One hundred videos were included in the study. The average duration was 6.33 min and average total number of views was 14,940. The mean DISCERN, JAMA, and GQS scores were 42.57 ± 12.04 (intermediate quality), 1.77 ± 0.51 (poor quality), and 3.63 ± 1.03 (intermediate quality), respectively. The mean video power index was 11.02 ± 24.55 (range, 0-193). The DISCERN score was significantly positively correlated with GQS and JAMA scores (p ≤ 0.001).

This study showed that YouTube videos about keratoconus contain moderately useful information for patients. So, physicians, being aware of the quality and diversity of online information, should correct any misinformation they encounter while face-to-face with patients.