Patient Perspectives on Keratoconus Treatment: A Subjective Sentiment Analysis From Reddit.

Abstract

Objective: Patient sentiments of keratoconus treatment discussions on Reddit were evaluated to enhance understanding of factors affecting the subjective patient experience.

Methods: Posts were extracted from the r/keratoconus on Reddit, an anonymous social media platform. The top 200 posts from each Reddit flair were included: "contact lenses," "crosslinking," "corneal transplant," and "corneal implants," and "other laser procedures." Posts were stratified by author and topic, and Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner was used to generate a compound postsentiment score. Word frequency analysis was also conducted.

Results: Of the 717 posts analyzed, most were classified as positive (60.5%). "Other Laser Procedures" posts had the highest mean score, whereas "Corneal Implant" posts had the lowest (0.47 vs 0.06; P =0.045). Lifestyle and Preoperative question posts were most positive, whereas Noncompliance and Treatment Anxieties/Validation seeking posts were the most negative (0.41 vs 0.066; P =0.02). Word frequency analysis found high use of "pain" (n=230), "insurance" (n=34), and "years" (n=35).

Conclusions: Subjective patient sentiment toward keratoconus treatment was overall positive. However, there was frequent discussion of timeline, pain, and contact lens instructions. These data suggest that addressing specific concerns, such as pain management and treatment anxieties, may improve satisfaction in keratoconus care.