Are YouTube Videos on the Treatment of Macular Holes Useful for Patients?

Objective In this study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness and quality of the YouTube videos for patients regarding the treatment of macular holes. Materials and methods The quality and effectiveness of the videos on macular hole treatment on YouTube were evaluated using the DISCERN, global quality score (GQS), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and usefulness index scoring systems. Results The median DISCERN score of 100 videos included in the study was 18 (range: 15-73), the median JAMA score was 3 (range: 0-4), the median global quality score was 1 (range: 1-5), and the median usefulness index score was 1 (range: 0-5). The JAMA scores of the videos uploaded by non-clinicians were found to be significantly lower than those of the videos uploaded by clinicians (p<0.001). However, the daily viewing rate and the number of comments and likes for the videos uploaded by non-clinicians were found to be significantly higher than those for the videos uploaded by clinicians (p<0.003). Conclusion Based on our findings, while all of the beneficial macular hole videos on YouTube were published by clinicians, the majority of them are not really helpful to patients.