Social Media and Retinal Detachment: Perspectives of Providers and Patients on Instagram

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the social media interactions of patients who experience retinal detachment and/or repair and how ophthalmic medical providers utilize social media. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of public posts on Instagram was performed from September 2019 to January 2020, with filtering based on the following hashtags: #retinaldetachment, #detachedretina, #retinaldetachmentsurgery, and #scleralbuckle. A categorical classification system was used for each Instagram post to review descriptive variables. RESULTS: Of the 1,797 Instagram posts analyzed, 697 (39%) were made by patients, of which 395 (57%) were positive in tone and 599 (86%) were in the postoperative period. Posts by ophthalmologists were most commonly centered on colleague education (446, 81%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Instagram posts by patients were of a positive tone reflecting primarily on activities of daily living and rehabilitations. Retina specialists should consider providing more social media content directed toward patients, particularly regarding their rehabilitation course following retinal detachment repair.

Automated summary

The majority of Instagram posts analyzed were made by patients, with a positive tone reflecting primarily on daily living activities and rehabilitation efforts. On the other hand, posts by ophthalmologists were mostly focused on colleague education. Retina specialists should consider providing more social media content directed toward patients, particularly regarding their rehabilitation course following retinal detachment repair.