TITLE:
Glaucoma Awareness and Knowledge, and Attitude to Screening, in a Rural Community in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
C. E. Ogbonnaya, L. U. Ogbonnaya, O. Okoye, N. Kizor-Akaraiwe
KEYWORDS:
Glaucoma Awareness and Knowledge, Screening, Nchokko-Igbeagu Izzi, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ophthalmology,
Vol.6 No.2,
May
31,
2016
ABSTRACT: Awareness, knowledge, beliefs and the sociocultural and religious practices, are believed to influence
the treatment-seeking behavior of people as well as their uptake of services. This study was
carried out to assess the awareness and knowledge about glaucoma, and the attitude to glaucoma
screening in Nchokko village in Igbeagu community, Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered
questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 22. Results show that a total of 402 respondents—
228 (56.7%) women and 174 (43.3%) men—were interviewed. The mean age of respondents
was 31.7 ± 11.9 years; 82.8% of the respondents had secondary education or less; 53% were
married; and 38.1% were farmers. Only 21.1% of the respondents were aware of glaucoma.
Gender, education, and positive family history were significantly associated with awareness. Only
6.3% of the respondents had good knowledge about the disease. A large proportion of respondents
(62.1%) exhibited a positive attitude towards glaucoma screening; however, only 5% had
ever undergone glaucoma screening. We conclude that glaucoma awareness and knowledge were
poor in this rural community, but a high proportion of respondents had a positive attitude towards
glaucoma screening. We therefore recommend a focused community health education
campaign that will raise awareness and impart adequate knowledge about glaucoma. Eye care
providers should make use of every opportunity to convey information on glaucoma to patients.