YouTube as a learning source for contact lens insertion and removal

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optometry
• Digital Health Education

Background:

• New contact lens wearers (neophytes) often rely on online resources like YouTube for insertion and removal guidance.
• The quality of educational content on YouTube for contact lens care is largely unknown and potentially variable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of soft contact lens insertion and removal videos available on YouTube.
• To compare the quality of these videos based on their publisher type (eye care professionals, companies, YouTubers).

Main Methods:

• Searched YouTube using keywords related to contact lens insertion and removal.
• Analyzed the top 50 videos for each keyword, assessing views, publisher source, upload date, and content quality.
• Scored videos based on predefined criteria (max 7 for insertion, 5 for removal) and categorized publishers.

Main Results:

• Videos by YouTubers had the highest view rates but significantly lower quality scores compared to those from eye care professionals and companies.
• Company-published videos achieved the highest quality scores for both insertion and removal.
• A negative correlation was observed between video quality scores and view rates, indicating popular videos were not necessarily the most informative.

Conclusions:

• While YouTuber-created videos on contact lens handling are popular, they lack essential instructional quality.
• Videos produced by companies provide more comprehensive and higher-quality guidance for safe contact lens insertion and removal.
• Eye care professionals and companies are recommended sources for reliable contact lens education online.