TY - JOUR T1 - Differences in minimal disease knowledge of keratoconus patients: results from an international survey JF - BMJ Open Ophthalmology JO - BMJ Open Ophth DO - 10.1136/bmjophth-2022-001164 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - e001164 AU - Philipp B Baenninger AU - Vito Romano AU - Francisco C Figueiredo AU - Sayali P Pradhan AU - Vishal Vohra AU - Bennie H Jeng AU - Katja C Iselin AU - Conor C Murphy AU - Claude Kaufmann AU - Michael A Thiel AU - Lucas M Bachmann Y1 - 2023/05/01 UR - http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001164.abstract N2 - Background/aims The objective of this multicentre, multinational, prospective study was to assess the level of basic understanding that individuals with keratoconus possessed about their condition.Methods We recruited 200 active keratoconus patients who were under regular review, and cornea specialists established a standard of ‘minimal keratoconus knowledge’ (MKK) that included an understanding of the definition, risk factors, symptoms and treatment options for the condition. We collected data from each participant regarding their clinical characteristics, highest level of education, (para)medical background and experiences with keratoconus within their social circle, and calculated the percentage of MKK attained by each patient.Results Our findings revealed that none of the participants met the MKK standard, with the average MKK score being 34.6% and ranging from 0.0% to 94.4%. Furthermore, our study showed that patients with a university degree, previous surgical intervention for keratoconus or affected parents had a higher MKK. However, age, gender, disease severity, paramedical knowledge, disease duration and best-corrected visual acuity did not significantly affect the MKK score.Conclusions Our study demonstrates a concerning lack of basic disease knowledge among keratoconus patients in three different countries. The level of knowledge exhibited by our sample was only one-third of what cornea specialists would typically anticipate from patients. This highlights the need for greater education and awareness campaigns surrounding keratoconus. Further research is needed to determine the most efficient approaches for enhancing MKK and subsequently improving the management and treatment of keratoconus.Data are available on reasonable request. The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due institutional policy but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. ER -