Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To assess the performance of the National Eye Institute Refractive Error Quality of Life Instrument (NEI-RQL-42) in a sample of patients who are seeking laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Methods: Seventeen patients seeking LASIK were recruited from refractive surgeons' offices in Columbus, OH and Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. The NEI-RQL-42 was self-administered to patients prior to undergoing LASIK. Subscale scores for patients seeking LASIK were compared to normative values reported in A Manual for Use and Scoring for the NEI-RQL-42. Possible scores range from 0 to 100, and higher scores represent better quality of life. Subscale scores were compared using t-tests. All comparisons are univariate. Results: Multiple subscale scores for patients seeking LASIK were significantly different from normative values (Table). No significant difference was found for the following subscales: near vision, far vision, diurnal fluctuations, dependence on correction, or suboptimal correction subscales. Conclusions: Subjects seeking LASIK scored significantly lower on subscales of the NEI-RQL-42 that serve to measure satisfaction and performance of refractive error correction, i.e., expectations, clarity of vision appearance, and satisfaction with vision correction, than normative values for the instrument that were obtained from patients who were not necessarily seeking refractive surgery or a change in refractive error correction. Other subscales measuring overall visual function (far and near vision) and dependence on correction were not significantly different in these patients seeking LASIK. These findings would suggest that the NEI-RQL-42 is sensitive to differences in patients who are and are not seeking a change in refractive error correction. Subscale scores for patients seeking LASIK that are significantly different from normative values
Keywords: refractive surgery: LASIK • quality of life