How trustworthy are educational YouTube videos on myopia?

Although YouTube videos on myopia vary in quality and reliability, videos created by physicians generally exhibit higher standards, according to a study that underscores the importance of expert involvement in online health information and highlights the need for caution when using YouTube as a source for medical information.

The study conducted a thorough search on YouTube using the keywords “myopia” and “nearsightedness” under default settings, evaluating metrics such as views, likes, dislikes, view ratio, upload source, country of origin, video type, and treatment techniques.

Each of the 112 analyzed videos was assessed using DISCERN, JAMA, EQIP, HONcode, and GQS scales. The primary sources were health channels (26.8%), physicians (21.4%), and academic centers (16.9%), with most videos originating from the United States (66.1%). The videos mainly addressed the pathophysiology (79.4%) and treatment (68.7%) of myopia. While the DISCERN scores showed no significant difference across video sources, the JAMA, GQS, HONcode, and EQIP scores revealed significant variability, highlighting differences in video quality and reliability.

Reference
Kayabaşı M, Köksaldı S, Durmaz Engin C. Evaluating the quality and reliability of YouTube videos on myopia: a video content analysis. Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):329. doi: 10.1007/s10792-024-03250-2. PMID: 39026115.