Awareness of Cataract and Glaucomain the Rural Population of Western India

Purpose: To assess the awareness, knowledge and treatment seeking tendencies about cataract and glaucoma in rural western India. Methods: This study was conducted over a period of 3 months from July 2019 to September 2019 by evaluating 1000 subjects in the rural population in the vicinity of Dhiraj general hospital, pipariya. Demographic details about age, gender and literacy were collected. A questionnaire based door to door survey was done and their responses were graded and data was analysed. Results: There were 475(47.5%) males and 525(52.5%) females. 590(59%) were between the ages of 20-50 years and 410(41%) were above 50 years of age. 210(21%) were illiterate, 565(56.5%) had received primary education and 225 (22.5%) had received secondary education and above. It was observed that the was more awareness, knowledge and treatment seeking tendencies in educated subjects (p<0.01). It was also observed that overall awareness, knowledge and treatment seeking tendencies was more for cataract than for glaucoma (p<0.001). Younger subjects had more knowledge about glaucoma and older subjects had more knowledge about cataract. Conclusion: Our study strongly suggests that there is lack of awareness, knowledge and treatment seeking tendencies in the rural population in western India especially for glaucoma. More effective health education in the form of public health care programmes and mass media awareness might be beneficial.