Abstract
Purpose:
To investigate the relationship between baseline clinical characteristics of patients with glaucoma and their vision-related Quality of Life (QoL) assessed using self-reported questionnaires and performance-based measurements.
Methods:
Patients with moderate-stage glaucoma enrolled in an ongoing prospective, longitudinal observational study were evaluated at baseline. Clinical measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), Disc Damage Likelihood Scale (DDLS) and Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity and Humphrey visual field (VF) test. Compressed Assessment of Ability Related to Vision (CAARV) was used to assess the performance of daily activities and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) and Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS) assessed vision-related QoL.
Results:
Eighty four patients (51% male) were included in the study. Mean age was 64.6 years (30-82). QoL subscales of the VFQ-25 and GSS were analyzed and correlated with gender but not with age or race. Male subjects performed better in VFQ-25 total score, Ocular Pain, Distant Activity, Role Difficulties, Driving and Peripheral Vision subscales (P<0.05). All GSS scores were also higher in males (P<0.05). No difference was found in CAARV scores between gender, age or race. Among all patients, better eye BCVA was strongly associated with 4 of 5 measures of CAARV and 8 of 13 subscales of VFQ-25. IOP had no significant association with any QoL subscales. DDLS was significantly associated with motion detection and general vision. Contrast sensitivity was related with CAARV total score, finding objects, motion detection and general vision. VF mean deviation (MD) was related with CAARV total score and color vision (P<0.05). No significant correlation was found in the worse eye between QoL measures and MD, BCVA, IOP, DDLS and contrast sensitivity.
Conclusions:
Male subjects with glaucoma self-reported better vision-related QoL compared with women, despite having similar objective scores of performance-based measurements. For all patients, VA, DDLS, contrast sensitivity and VF MD correlated with subjective and objective measures of QoL, however only in the better seeing eye.
Keywords: 669 quality of life •
758 visual fields •
629 optic nerve