Five takeaways from patient discussions on ophthalmology-specific forums

Social media has become a primary source for patients who are seeking medical advice online. In return, a growing number of ophthalmologists have increased their public presence on these platforms to reach patients and serve as a source of reliable medical knowledge. Despite having more than 52 million daily active users and a proven source of patient information in other fields of medicine, Reddit has yet to be fully explored in ophthalmology.

We co-authored a recent study¹ to better understand what patients are discussing in ophthalmology-specific Reddit forums. Herein, we highlight the key takeaways.

1. Even when strongly discouraged, patients will seek advice online.

The r/Ophthalmology subreddit states that any questions from patients about their personal health concerns will be removed. Yet, our analysis found that almost half of the posts on the subreddit were patient questions. This demonstrates how important it is for ophthalmologists to increase their presence online to meet the educational demands of patients.

2. Common topics of conversation emerge.

Within both posts and comments, Reddit users are most frequently asking about and receiving information about retinal detachments, cataracts and glaucoma. Anyone can post and comment on Reddit, so this means that those without an ophthalmic background are often attempting to answer and educate patients. With the spread of misinformation on social media, this knowledge from our study can guide ophthalmologists to focus education on these topics.

3. Patients are infrequently recommended to seek medical care.

In posts seeking medical information, we found that only 25% of comments by fellow Reddit users either mentioned or recommended that the user seek any type of medical care. This highlights the large discrepancy between those seeking advice and how often they are told to see a medical professional.

Since self-identified ophthalmologists make up only a small number of users on the subreddit, it is likely that patients are receiving advice from laypeople who may not have the medical background to give proper advice. This leads to our next point …

4. Improved education can decrease delayed presentation of emergencies.

Greater involvement on the subreddit by ophthalmologists and increased education of emergent conditions for all users may encourage patients to seek care more urgently when necessary. This can help prevent delays in patients receiving care, ultimately improving vision outcomes for patients.

5. Reddit is an excellent platform to disseminate ophthalmic knowledge.

Users can make posts and comments anonymously, allowing them to speak freely without stigma about their medical conditions. This gives patients the opportunity to engage in discussion without concern of revealing personal information to “friends” and “followers.”

Ophthalmologists may also feel more comfortable to freely interact with posts without the obligation of having to respond to specific patient questions and instead focus their efforts on patient education if they choose.

CONCLUSION

Reddit uniquely captures patient questions and discussions in a more candid manner than other social media platforms, serving as a wealth of information for both patients and physicians. Ophthalmologists looking to gain insight into patient concerns and improve patient education should consider utilizing the r/Ophthalmology subreddit to extend their reach. OM

REFERENCE

1. Dave AD, Zhu D. Ophthalmology Inquiries on Reddit: What Should Physicians Know? Clin Ophthalmol. 2022;16:2923-2931.

Dagny Zhu, MD, is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon currently practicing as medical director and partner at NVISION Eye Centers in Rowland Heights, Calif. She is active on social media with more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. Follow her @DZEyeMD on Instagram as well as on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Amisha Dave, BSE, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Ms. Dave is passionate about artificial intelligence, big data and innovation in ophthalmology.