YouTube as a source of information for retinopathy of prematurity in the Arabic language.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in infants thus it is important to raise awareness about this disease. As online platforms are a popular source of medical information; the purpose of this study is to evaluate the credibility of the content of YouTube videos on ROP in the Arabic language. The first 40 relevant videos were included and were independently reviewed by two ophthalmologists employing six assessment tools: reliability, accuracy, quality, comprehensiveness, overall viewer experience, and usefulness. Out of the 40 videos that were analysed, only 29 were considered useful. The mean DISCERN score of the videos was 32 indicating poor quality. Furthermore, 70% of the videos were completely accurate, but only 5% were fully comprehensive. Regarding the global quality score, only four videos were of excellent quality/flow (10%), while 15 were generally poor with the poor flow (37.5%). Viewer experience was assessed as fair to very poor in 22 videos (55%). The overall quality of the content in YouTube videos was poor, rendering this platform an unreliable source of information about ROP. However, given its high level of engagement, the medical community could hone its potential for raising awareness about ROP by creating entertaining useful content.

Relation between lipid profile, blood pressure and retinopathy in diabetic patients in King Abdulaziz University hospital: a retrospective record review study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness worldwide, threatening the vision of approximately 10% of patients with diabetes. Many studies have demonstrated that intensive control of the risk factors for DR is essential to reduce the onset and progression of DR. Currently, the relationship between lipid profile and DR is still unclear, especially in Saudi Arabia. We aimed to assess the correlation between both the development and severity of DR with lipid profile and blood pressure among the diabetic patients at the King Abdul-Aziz University hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This was a retrospective record review study of 298 diabetic patients diagnosed with DR. Retinal findings were correlated to serum lipids levels using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: This study included 298 participants with DR. Triglyceride levels, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and presence of macular edema were significantly associated with DR progression (P = 0.012, P = 0.001, P = 0.002). Other parameters, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HbA1C, body mass index, age, were not significantly associated with DR. CONCLUSION: Elevation in serum triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure showed a statically significant association with diabetic retinopathy. Controlling these factors may help preventing progression and occurrence of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients.

Patients' tolerance of bimanual lid retraction versus a metal speculum for intravitreal injections.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patients' acceptance of and correlate their pain level for bimanual versus metal speculum fixation in intravitreal injections. DESIGN: Prospective analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-three eyes of 56 patients. METHODS: A questionnaire indicating patients' discomfort and pain grading immediately after intravitreal injections using either bimanual fixation or metal speculum fixation (Barraquer Wire Speculum). RESULTS: Fifty-six patients who underwent intravitreal injections were enrolled in this study for various conditions. Patients' overall pain and discomfort were as follows, right eye - bimanual was 0.3 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 0.54, right eye - metal was 1.6 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 1.5, left eye - bimanual was 0.41 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 0.87, and left eye - metal was 1.91 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 1.14 (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Patients who underwent bimanual fixation had a much more comfortable experience with less pain in comparison to patients who underwent metal speculum fixation.