Glaucoma Awareness and Knowledge Among Ethiopians in a Tertiary Eye Care Center

Introduction: Glaucoma outcomes are closely associated with patients’ awareness of the disease. However, little is known about glaucoma awareness and knowledge in Addis Ababa, a densely populated and ethnolinguistically diverse capital city in Ethiopia, the second largest country in Africa. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey in the ophthalmology waiting room at St. Paul’s Hospital, a tertiary care center in Addis Ababa. Respondents included patients, patient family members, and non-clinical staff. Participants were asked if they had read or heard about glaucoma to gauge basic awareness of the disease; those with awareness were asked to take a quiz to measure their objective glaucoma knowledge. We performed multivariable regression to identify factors associated with glaucoma awareness, quiz performance, and self-rated ability to use eye drops. Results: Of 298 respondents, 145 (48.7%) were female, and the average age was 44.9 ± 17.2 years. A majority (167; 56.0%) had primary school or less than primary school education. Only 131 (44.0%) had basic glaucoma awareness. Of these, 95 (72.5%) knew that glaucoma causes permanent vision loss, 103 (78.6%) knew glaucoma is often asymptomatic in early stages, 62 (47.3%) identified elevated intraocular pressure as a glaucoma risk factor, and 124 (94.7%) knew glaucoma was treatable. A majority of this subset (126; 96.2%) said they would be willing to use medicated eye drops, and 130 (99.2%) indicated a willingness to undergo surgery if recommended. Education level was independently associated with glaucoma awareness (p < 0.001) and glaucoma quiz performance (p = 0.03). Conclusion: In a population sample from an ophthalmology waiting room in Addis Ababa, glaucoma awareness was poor and most strongly associated with education level. Educational interventions at public health and provider-patient levels are warranted. Our results suggest high receptiveness to both medical and surgical treatment.