Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the relationship between the psychological status and the outcomes of vision rehabilitation in patients with low vision.
Methods: :
We recruited 25 patients (age range 51 to 85 years) who were enrolled in the Vision Impairment Center to Optimize Remaining Sight (VICTORS) program at the Jesse Brown VAMC that provides magnification devices and training. The patients’ visual acuities in their better eyes ranged from 0.18 to 1.08 logMAR. We administered self–report batteries that measure perceived psychological health and include Adaptation to Vision Loss (AVL) Scale, a questionnaire designed to measure self–esteem and confidence, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI–2), and the Mini–Mental Status Exam (MMSE), and reading assessments including The Pepper Visual Skills for Reading Test (measures reading speed and accuracy), and the MNRead Acuity Charts (measures reading acuity, reading speed and critical print size). Psychological batteries and reading assessments were administered on the first day of rehabilitation. Reading assessments and the AVL Scale were also administered at the end of rehabilitation.
Results: :
Overall, patients showed significant improvement in reading speed (t’s=–2.97 to –4.39, p’s<0.01), accuracy (W’s=182.00 to 212.00, p’s<0.01), reading acuity (t’s=5.09 to 5.18, p’s<0.001) and critical print size (t’s=2.33 to 2.46, p’s<0.03) after rehabilitation. Regression analyses revealed that better reading outcomes were significantly related in weighted combination to lower levels of depression, higher self–confidence, and better visual acuity (R’s=0.587 to 0.814, p’s <0.02).
Conclusions: :
Patients may benefit more from a training program if depression is effectively reduced prior to vision rehabilitation.
Keywords: low vision • quality of life • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: outcomes/complications