Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Parents of Strabismic Children in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Strabismus is a reversible condition that must be identified and treated during the critical period of childhood. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the degree of knowledge, attitude, and practice among parents of strabismic children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Method To this end, a cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2021 to November 2021 with a sample size of 424 parents of children with strabismus seeking ophthalmologic consultants in private and governmental ophthalmology clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire contains knowledge-related questions about strabismus, beliefs-related questions, questions addressing the barriers parents face regarding strabismus in a child, and sources of information about cross-eye and its management. Data were analysed using the SPSS database version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). P-values <0.5 was used for clinical significance. Result We found that most parents know there is a relationship between strabismus and refractive errors (69%) and cross eye can be corrected (55%). Moreover, strabismus causes psychosocial difficulties (55%), low self-esteem, and low school performance. Parents of strabismic children believed that their love for their children is not affected due to crossed eyes (53%) and that strabismic children should not be taken to traditional healers (59%). Barriers faced during the management of strabismus are parents' negligence (76%), fear of surgery (34%), and high cost (29%). Doctors are the most used and preferred source of information among parents of strabismic children. Conclusion This study identifies gaps in knowledge, wrong beliefs in society, and the barriers faced by parents of strabismic children. Thus, raising awareness of the importance of detecting and treating strabismus early, avoiding psychosocial complications, and improving children's quality of life.