Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To comprehensively assess visual function and vision–related and general health–related quality of life in intermediate uveitis. Methods:42 consecutive patients with intermediate uveitis (IU) attending a regional uveitis clinic were enrolled in this study between August and November 2002. 25 (60%) patients were female and the mean age was 41 years (range 17–81). Vision–related (VR–QOL) and general health–related quality of life (HQOL) was evaluated using the self–administered VCM1 and SF–36 questionnaires, respectively. Visual function tests included LogMAR visual acuity (VA), Pelli–Robson contrast sensitivity, 100–Hue color vision and Estermann visual field. A masked observer used the international uveitis scoring system to assess clinical disease activity and the LOCS III method to grade lens opacities. Results:IU impacted most on visual acuity and visual field, with only 25% of affected eyes remaining within normal range for these tests, compared with 51% and 74% for contrast sensitivity and color vision, respectively. VA correlated strongly with all three other measures of visual function (r=0.53–0.68, p<0.001). VCM1 scores correlated moderately with visual acuity (r=0.32, p<0.05), contrast sensitivity (r=–0.36, p<0.05) and visual field (r=–0.34, p<0.05), but not color vision. Using multivariate regression analysis, the VCM1 score was significantly associated with VA independently of age, gender, disease duration, systemic therapy, laterality and medical co–morbidity. The social functioning and general health perception subscales of the SF–36 were significantly lower than for an age–matched normal reference group (p=0.0001). Conclusions:IU impacts most on visual acuity and visual field, with relative sparing of color vision. Strong correlations between different measures of visual function support the use of visual acuity as the primary measure of visual status in IU in clinical practice. This study confirms the validity of using the VCM1 to assess functional visual impairment in intermediate uveitis and highlights the impact that this disease may have on some aspects of HQOL.
Keywords: uveitis–clinical/animal model • quality of life • visual acuity