Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the effect of treatment modality on vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with non-infectious uveitis.
Methods:
Eligible patients had a diagnosis of non-infectious anterior, intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis. VR-QOL was assessed by the 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25) and HR-QOL was assessed by the Short Form 12-Item Health Survey (SF-12). Treatment modality groups were observation with treatment as needed, local, systemic, and implant. Fisher’s exact test and t-test were used to evaluate associations between categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate associations between treatment modality and VR-QOL or HR-QOL.
Results:
Among the 63 patients, the mean age was 48.4 years with 20 males (31.7%) and median best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/25 in better-seeing and 20/40 in worse-seeing eyes. VR-QOL scores were lower in all subscores of VFQ-25 in females compared to males (p=0.0008-0.036) except in general vision, social functioning, color vision and peripheral vision. HR-QOL scores between males and females were not statistically different in physical component summary (PCS) but were lower in females in mental component summary (MCS) (p=0.014). Between males and females, BCVA and uveitis location and activity were not statistically different; however, treatment modality was statistically different with females more likely to receive systemic or implant therapy than males (p=0.011). In males, the effect of treatment modality on VR-QOL was not statistically different in all subscores of VFQ-25 except in role difficulties (p=0.024) and dependency (p=0.047), adjusted for BCVA, PCS and MCS, and the effect on HR-QOL was not statistically different in PCS and MCS of SF-12, adjusted for BCVA and presence of medical co-morbidities. In females, the adjusted effect of treatment modality on VR-QOL or HR-QOL was not statistically different in all subscores of VFQ-25 or PCS and MCS of SF-12.
Conclusions:
Female patients with non-infectious uveitis reported lower VR-QOL and mental health HR-QOL scores and were more likely to receive systemic or implant therapy compared to males, suggesting more severe disease or more flare-ups. Treatment with systemic or implant therapy did not compromise VR-QOL or HR-QOL compared to observation with treatment as needed or local therapy.
Keywords: 669 quality of life