title: What do people with glaucoma know about their condition? A comparative cross-sectional incidence and prevalence survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess and compare glaucoma knowledge between patients with established glaucoma, newly diagnosed glaucoma and the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  208 glaucoma patients, 100 newly diagnosed glaucoma patients from three clinical centres and 100 controls from non-ophthalmology outpatient clinics, were recruited and completed a validated self-administered true/false questionnaire assessing glaucoma knowledge. Demographic data were also recorded. Glaucoma knowledge score, out of a maximum of 22, and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of survey characteristics associated with falling in the lowest quartile of the overall knowledge score was evaluated for each study group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Established glaucoma patients had (median 17, interquartile range 15-19) marginally but significantly (P < 0.05) greater glaucoma knowledge scores than new patients (median 16, interquartile range 13-18). Both of these groups scored significantly better than the control population (median 13, interquartile range 10-14, P < 0.05). Significant misconceptions regarding glaucoma include: 80% of all participants thought that topical medications could not have systemic side-effects, 48% of established glaucoma patients believed symptoms would warn them of disease progression. One-third of new patients considered blindness to be a common outcome of having glaucoma. For established patients, factors associated (P < 0.05) with a lesser likelihood of scoring in the lowest quartile of the total score included having family (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.11-0.98) or friends (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.06-0.97) with glaucoma, being referred by an optometrist compared with general practitioner (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.57), speaking English at home (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04-0.49) and being seen in the private health-care sector (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04-0.42).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with established glaucoma have only slightly greater knowledge than newly diagnosed patients, with both patient groups harbouring significant misconceptions regarding glaucoma. Educational programmes and material should be tailored to address these misconceptions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. h.daneshmeyer@auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Helen V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Danesh-Meyer
authors.forename: Narme C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Deva
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slight
authors.forename: Yu Wee
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tarr
authors.forename: Stuart C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gamble
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006295:Health Resources; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000379:methods; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires