Abstract
Purpose: :
To determine the relationships between vision-related quality of life and peripheral visual field loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa(RP).
Methods: :
The Japanese version of the NEI VFQ-25 was used to study 40 patients with typical RP with visual acuity >0.7, and 30 normal volunteers. The peripheral visual field was evaluated by Goldmann perimetry (GP), and the degree of field loss was classified as mild, moderate, or advanced according to an earlier classification. The mean of the total composite score of the NEI VFQ-25 in RP patients was compared to the degree of the visual field loss.
Results: :
The mean score in RP patients was 68.3 and that in normal controls was 90.0. This difference was significant (P<0.01). Among the RP patients, the mean score was 76.4 in the mild loss group, 67.6 in the moderate group, and 58.9 in the advanced group. These differences were significant (P<0.01).
Conclusions: :
The significant correlation between the peripheral visual field loss and vision-related QOL measurements obtained with the NEI VFQ-25 indicates that the NEI VFQ-25 can be used to measure visual functions subjectively in RP patients.
Keywords: quality of life • perimetry • visual fields