Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: The Children’s Visual Function Questionnaire (CVFQ) was recently developed and validated for use with pediatric eye patients under 7 years of age (Felius et al, AJO 2004). The instrument is composed of 6 subscales: General Health, General Vision, Competence, Personality, Family Impact, and Treatment. We evaluated the usefulness of the CVFQ subscales as outcome measures for clinical research. Methods: CVFQ subscale scores were compared for groups of pediatric patients with unilateral vs. bilateral disease (15 bilateral and 19 unilateral cataract), different severity of visual impairment (41 ROP grouped by acuity), difficulty of treatment regimen (7 optical only, 7 surgery only, 15 surgery+optical, 19 surgery+optical+ occlusion), and alternative treatments for the same condition (9 IOLs, 19 aphakic contact lenses). Results: Patients with bilateral cataract had significantly lower competence scores than patients with unilateral cataract, while patients with unilateral cataract had significantly poorer family impact and treatment scores. Patients with ROP and severe bilateral visual impairment had significantly poorer competence, personality, and family impact scores than other groups of ROP patients. Patients with ROP and normal acuity outcomes scored significantly better on the competence scale than all other groups of ROP patients. Patients treated with only optical correction or only surgery had significantly better family impact and treatment scores than patients treated with surgery + optical correction. The addition of occlusion to the treatment plan resulted in significantly poorer family impact and treatment scores. Children treated with IOLs and with aphakic contact lenses had similar competence, personality, and family impact scores but IOL patients had significantly better treatment scores. Conclusions: The CVFQ subscales quantified differences between unilateral and bilateral disease, varied with severity of visual impairment, and documented the impact of differences in treatment regimen on the family. The results were consistent with differences expected among these well–defined patient groups, supporting the usefulness of the CVFQ as an outcome measure for clinical research.
Keywords: quality of life • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: treatment/prevention assessment/controlled • amblyopia