Knowledge and Awareness of Ocular Allergy Among the General Population of Makkah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Ocular allergies represent a growing public health concern, yet awareness and knowledge gaps persist - particularly in high-risk regions like Makkah, Saudi Arabia, with its unique environmental allergens. This study assessed ocular allergy knowledge among Makkah's general population. Methods A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted with 404 adults (aged 18-60 years), recruited via convenience sampling. An Arabic-language Google Forms (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA) questionnaire evaluated knowledge across eight domains: definition, symptoms, anatomy, prevention, treatment, and risk factors. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27 (released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA), along with the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results The mean knowledge score was 3.41/8 (SD = 1.92), indicating limited awareness. Key gaps included treatment options (30% correct) and affected eye anatomy (34.2% correct). Females scored higher than males (3.73 vs. 2.93, p < 0.001), and university-educated participants outperformed others (3.92 vs. 2.75-3.00, p < 0.001). Only 16.8% achieved high knowledge (six to eight correct answers). Conclusions Significant knowledge deficits exist, particularly regarding treatment and disease mechanisms. Targeted interventions should prioritize at-risk groups (males and less-educated individuals) through community and digital health campaigns.