Quality and patient-safety content of Instagram videos on ophthalmic emergencies: A cross-sectional content analysis

PurposeTo evaluate the quality, reliability, and safety-related content of Instagram videos on common ophthalmic emergencies.MethodsThis cross-sectional content analysis included 175 publicly available English-language Instagram videos across eight ophthalmic emergency topics. Two ophthalmologists independently assessed videos using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria, Global Quality Score (GQS), and a study-specific exploratory Eye Safety Score (ESS). Misinformation, harmful advice, emergency referral guidance, red-flag information, creator type, and engagement were recorded. Adjusted ordinal regression evaluated associations between engagement and ESS while accounting for topic, creator category, and repeated creators.ResultsMean JAMA, GQS, and ESS values were 2.55 ± 0.52, 2.96 ± 0.77, and 3.07 ± 1.18. Misinformation occurred in 10.9% of videos, harmful advice in 9.7%, emergency referral guidance in 64.0%, and red-flag information in 63.4%. Ophthalmologist-authored videos had higher reliability and quality scores and no detected misinformation in this sample. Views and likes showed weak inverse correlations with ESS; adjusted associations remained significant (views: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29-0.75; likes: aOR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.22-0.66).ConclusionIn this cross-sectional sample of English-language Instagram videos on ophthalmic emergencies, safety-related omissions were common. Higher engagement was associated with lower ESS, but the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference.