The Effect of Keratoconus Disease on the Education Levels among Students at Different Ages to Determine the Locations of Their Spread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Introduction

Keratoconus disease is a disorder in the curvature of the eyes. Keratoconus occurs when the cornea becomes thin and bulges like a cone, altering the focus of light rays, blurring and distorting the person’s vision, and making it difficult to do daily tasks such as reading. The disease is believed to be genetic and typical onset begins in the teens or early 20s and gradually worsens over a period of 10 to 20 years.

Purpose of the Study

As keratoconus is thought to be hereditary, the study of its prevalence in among endogamous marriage groups could be beneficial in developing a better understanding of how this disease is spread. Among certain regions and groups in Saudi Arabia as well as throughout the Middle East, endogamy and disease prevalence have been identified as having a strong correlation (Jaber, Shohat, Rotter & Shohat, 1997; Millodot, Shneor, Albou, Atlani & Gordon-Shaag, 2011; Khan, Abu-Safieh, Eisenberger, Bolz & Alkuraya, 2013; Gordon-Shaag, Millodot, Shneor & Liu, 2015). Moreover, a study that focuses primarily on the student population impacted by keratoconus could be beneficial in helping to determine locations...

Students may leave their homes or their communities to study in other colleges. By examining their condition and obtaining data regarding their origins, this study could pinpoint precisely where keratoconus is most likely to occur in the future.
Background

Assiri, Yousuf, Quantock & Murphy (2005) show that the incidence and associated signs and symptoms of patients with keratoconus in Saudi Arabia is high “with an early onset and more rapid progress to the severe disease stage at a young age” which may very well “reflect the influence of genetic and/or environmental factor(s) in the aetiology of keratoconus” (p. 1403). In order to better understand the environmental factors that play a role in the etiology of keratoconus, a broader survey of young persons is needed to fill the present gap in literature.

Abu-Amero, Al-Muammar & Kondkar (2014) state that keratoconus “has a complex multifactorial etiology, with environmental, behavioral, and multiple genetic components contributing to the disease pathophysiology”…