Abstract

Knowledge and Awareness of Oculoplastic Surgery among Medical Students

Objectives: There has been a gap in the literature regarding the knowledge of health-care workers, including medical students, on the speciality of oculoplasty. In this study, we aimed to assess the perception and knowledge of oculoplasty among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students at King Abdulaziz University during the months of June 2018 and September 2018. Data were collected using a selfadministered questionnaire. Results: This study involved 625 medical students from the second to sixth-year levels. The highest number of participants was from the third year 185 (29.6%). Most of the medical students 381 (61.0%), did not know about the training required to become an oculoplastic surgeon, and only 50 (8.0%) were interested in the speciality as a career. Ptosis was the most identified condition by medical students to be treated by oculoplastic surgeons, 316 (50.56%), and entropion was the least, 86 (13.76%). Less than one third, 177 (28.3%) of the medical students disagreed regarding oculoplastic surgery as it is very risky. The most important source of information for oculoplastic surgery was ‘social media,’ 258 (41.28%); and the least effective was ‘magazines,’ 20 (3.2%). The mean (SD) knowledge score for all respondents was 3.61 (2.18%). Conclusion: Medical students lack proper knowledge in the field of oculoplasty. This is related to the lack of exposure to the speciality in various areas including medical rotations, conferences, and summer training. This has contributed to the lack of interest in pursuing a future career in oculoplasty.

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