Evaluation of YouTube videos for information and education on amblyopia

PURPOSE YouTube is a popular social media platform accessed by people to obtain relevant health and disease-related information. In this study, we evaluate the videos on the platform as a source of information about amblyopia. METHODS In this prospective, cross-sectional study, a YouTube search was conducted using three keywords, “Lazy eye”, “amblyopia,” and “Lazy eye treatment,” on January 26, 2022. Video quality assessment was done using Modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), Global Quality Score, and the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HON code) scale. Video content was analyzed as health professional and non-health professional, video length, release date, daily view count, and video power index. We evaluated the relationship between the groups and video quality on the platform. RESULTS Of the 300 initial videos investigated for the study, 219 met the inclusion criteria and were added to the final statistical analysis. Of the selected videos, nearly 50% contained content related to medical education. More than half of the videos analyzed (130; 59.36%) were uploaded by healthcare professionals (HCP). The mDISCERN mean (± SD)score for the videos was 2.65 ± 1.24, 2.37 ± 1.02 for the JAMA scoring scale, and 3.72 ± 1.75 for the HON code. All the scoring systems were better for HCP than non-healthcare professionals (NHCPs). CONCLUSIONS A wide variety of information about Amblyopia is available on YouTube. The videos uploaded by NHCP had suboptimal flow and information of limited use to patients.