Evaluating the educational quality and reliability of YouTube videos on red light therapy for eye diseases

To investigate the use of YouTube videos as an educational and informational resource regarding the use of red light therapy in eye diseases. On May 1, 2025, a comprehensive search was conducted on the YouTube platform ( https://www.youtube.com ) using the keywords "Red light therapy in eye disease" and "Use of red light therapy in eye diseases for patient information". Videos under 60 s in duration, those lacking audio, duplicate entries, irrelevant content, and videos with disabled comment sections were excluded from the analysis. These exclusion criteria were predefined prior to data collection. Following video selection (E.Ç., M.T.), all videos were independently evaluated by two ophthalmologists, and statistical analyses were performed using the finalized dataset. Parameters assessed included total views, number of comments, likes, time elapsed since upload, video duration, view rate, interaction index, video source, and content characteristics. In addition, videos were categorized according to quality level based on Global Quality Score (GQS) scores as low-to-moderate quality (GQS < 4) and high quality (GQS ≥ 4). Comparisons were then performed according to quality category with respect to uploader source, video purpose, and engagement-related parameters. Out of 110 YouTube videos reviewed, 53 were excluded based on predefined criteria. The remaining 57 videos covered myopia (22.8%), dry eye (33.3%), diabetic retinopathy (12.3%), and age-related macular degeneration (31.6%). Inter-rater agreement was high (mDISCERN ICC: 0.952; JAMA ICC: 0.923; GQS ICC: 0.890). Videos uploaded by physicians had significantly higher mDISCERN, JAMA, and GQS scores. Educational videos had higher mDISCERN and JAMA scores than patient-information videos. A moderate positive correlation was found between the number of likes and the interaction index (r = 0.458, p < 0.01). The interaction index was not significantly associated with mDISCERN, JAMA, or GQS scores, indicating that engagement metrics were not reliable indicators of informational quality. Among disease categories, age-related macular degeneration videos had the highest mean quality scores, although the differences were not statistically significant. Most videos were classified as low-to-moderate quality (82.5%), while 17.5% were classified as high quality. High-quality videos had significantly higher view counts and like counts than low-to-moderate quality videos. The overall quality and formal reliability of YouTube videos on red light therapy in ophthalmology were low to moderate. Physician-uploaded and educational videos provided higher-quality information. Although high-quality videos showed greater engagement, popularity metrics were not reliable indicators of informational quality. More evidence-based and accessible video content is needed to support patient education.