Assessing awareness and treatment knowledge of preventable blindness in rural and urban South African communities

Preventable blindness is a global public health problem. In South Africa (SA) the prevalence of blindness is increasing, with a higher proportion of cataracts than the global norm, and a large rural population with limited access to specialised eye-care services.

To determine the level of knowledge regarding preventable blindness and treatment options within a rural and urban population.

Rural and urban areas in the Eastern Cape, SA.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 participants. Questionnaires were administered by fieldworkers at the different sites. Proportions were calculated and χ2 tests done to determine whether there was any significant relationship between the categorical variables. Data analysis was done using Stata version 15.

Participants were almost equally distributed among the urban (49.2%) and rural areas (50.8%). Both groups had a similar composition of males and females. Most participants had completed high school. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the urban and rural participants' knowledge about the causes of blindness: refractive error χ 2 (1, N=30) = 8.20, p<0.05, and cataract χ2 (1, N=28) = 8.64, p<0.05. The top two differences in the views between urban and rural participants regarding symptoms associated with eye problems (p<0.05) were: 'people who need spectacles have double vision', χ2 (1, N=122) = 28.19; and 'people who need spectacles squint their eyes', χ2 (1, N=124) = 17.37. The majority of urban participants reported opting to go to a private optometrist for eye health services, while the majority of rural participants would go to a pharmacy. Both groups were aware of the role of ageing in blindness.

Urban participants in this study appeared to be more knowledgeable than rural participants about the causes and symptoms of blindness and its treatment options. These findings should provide some value to those who provide primary healthcare services in rural areas as there is a clear opportunity for patient education and health promotion regarding the causes and symptoms of these common preventable causes of blindness. Addressing this knowledge gap regarding the causes and symptoms of blindness and the treatment options is a critical first step for awareness programmes in rural areas. Without this, there will be little demand for any treatment or service. Future studies are needed to understand which health promotion interventions are effective in preventable blindness in rural populations.