Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Ocular Manifestations of COVID 19 among Students in a Medical College in Saudi Arabia- A Cross Sectional Study

Background: The coronavirus pandemic has forced governments of different countries to implement measures to control the spread of the virus and improve health awareness. Medical students are thought to have a significant role in public health promotion. Although there are studies assessing the level of knowledge of COVID-19 among medical students, there are very few assessing the level of knowledge about the ocular manifestations of COVID-19. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the ocular manifestations of COVID-19 among medical students a medical college in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: An online, questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the ocular manifestations of COVID 19 among medical students.

Results: The level of knowledge about COVID-19 was adequate. However, there was a deficient knowledge regarding some aspects of ophthalmological involvement in coronavirus disease. Female students and those of higher academic years demonstrated significantly higher knowledge. Attitudes and practices regarding prevention of infection and personal protective measures were satisfactory. The main source of information about COVID-19 was social media and internet.

Conclusions: This is probably the first study investigating the ophthalmological knowledge of COVID-19 among medical students in this region. The level of knowledge about COVID-19 was adequate but knowledge about some ophthalmological aspects was insufficient. Students had adequate knowledge about COVID prevention and personal protective measures. It is suggested to include knowledge of COVID-19 in the curriculum to fill gaps in the knowledge, especially in the preclinical years. Seminars and training programmes could also add to the same.