Use of traditional eye medicine and self-medication among population of Taif City, Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional study

Background: The haphazard use of traditional eye medicines (TEM) has increased eye problems like corneal ulceration and infections. Lack of knowledge regarding the adverse side effects regarding these biological products is an important concern of public health. The widespread use of medicines for eye related problems, without a doctor's consultation or prescription, is common practice. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of self medication and attitude and practice regarding the use of TEM for eye related problems. Materials and methods: We did a cross-sectional study using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire. The study was done in a private shopping mall in Taif city, Saudi Arabia during the month of October, 2018 after obtaining ethical clearance. We included responses of 431 participants for our analysis. The questionnaire included two parts, part 1 recorded the socio-demographic details and part 2 had questions related to knowledge, attitude and practice related to self medication and use of TEM. An independent statistician did the statistical analysis using SPSS ver. 23. Results: The prevalence of self medication for eye problems in our study was found to be 35% who preferred using traditional eye medicaments over modern medicines. There was a very strong relationship between the education level of the participants and usage of medication without consulting a doctor (p<0.001). Redness of the eye due to usage of TEM was reported by 2.9% of the participants. Conclusion: The use of TEM and self medications for eye problems in Saudi Arabia is not uncommon. Even though most of the participants are aware of the harmful effects of some of the Traditional medicaments, there is a need to raise the knowledge and awareness regarding use of TEM and self medicaments for eye problems.