Animated Video Education for Retinal Surgery

Overview

Retinal detachment is a vision-threatening condition that requires urgent surgical repair. Understanding the condition, the surgery, and post-operative instructions is difficult for many patients, particularly in multilingual and multicultural populations. This study will evaluate whether short, animated educational videos, available in 25 languages and designed with accessibility features for patients with low vision, improve patient knowledge, reduce anxiety, and support adherence to post-operative instructions when added to standard counselling. Patients will be randomized to standard counselling alone versus counselling plus video in their preferred language. Outcomes will be measured with validated questionnaires at baseline, immediately after counselling, and one week post-surgery.

Retinal detachment is a surgical emergency that can result in irreversible vision loss if untreated. Surgical options include pneumatic retinopexy, pars plana vitrectomy, and scleral buckle. Successful outcomes depend not only on timely surgery but also on patient understanding of their condition, the procedure, and critical post-operative instructions, especially positioning requirements. Traditional verbal counselling can be difficult for patients to absorb, particularly in multicultural populations where language barriers and variable health literacy are common. This trial will evaluate a multilingual, animated educational video intervention designed to address these challenges. Each video is five minutes in length and includes simplified explanations of retinal detachment, key surgical steps, and post-operative positioning. Accessibility features such as high-contrast visuals, bold graphics, and audio narration allow use by patients with varying levels of vision and literacy. The videos are available in 25 languages, selected to reflect the most commonly spoken languages in Canada and globally. Participants will be randomized to receive either standard counselling alone or counselling plus video in their preferred language. Outcomes include knowledge acquisition, anxiety reduction, and adherence to positioning instructions, measured with validated questionnaires. Findings will inform scalable strategies to improve patient education, promote equity in ophthalmic care, and reduce preventable complications.