Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:Describe the vision targeted, health-related quality of life, measured with the National Eye Institute Vision Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ), in participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) according to their AMD, lens opacity, and visual acuity status. Methods:The 39-item NEI-VFQ was administered at the 5-year clinic visit to 4,121 AREDS participants and at least 1 year later in 2,697 participants. At the time of administration, participants were classified by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), lens opacity, and visual acuity status. AMD category (none, early, intermediate, advanced), nuclear lens opacity groups (none, mild, moderate), and cortical opacity groups (none, mild, moderate) were based on grading of photographs by a reading center. Visual acuity (VA) groups (20/20 or better both eyes, 20/20 or better in only one eye, worse than 20/20 both eyes) were based on the number of letters read on the logMAR ETDRS chart. Mean differences in the overall VFQ score and subscale scores within the ordered categorical variables (AMD/lens/VA status) were adjusted by age, gender and race and assessed using a test for trend. Dunnett's multiple comparisons test was used to identify differences within groups. Change in VFQ score was evaluated using analysis of variance (adjusted for age and time between two VFQs). Results:The age, gender, and race adjusted mean NEI-VFQ scores for participants with advanced AMD, moderate nuclear opacity, and reduced VA OU generally were lower than the corresponding disease free groups (P<0.001). The adjusted mean overall VFQ score for participants 1) with advanced AMD was 74 compared to 92 for those with no AMD; 2) with moderate nuclear opacity was 86 compared to 90 for those with no nuclear opacity; and 3) with VA less than 20/20 in both eyes was 82 compared to 94 for those with VA 20/20 or better in both eyes. VFQ scores of participants with moderate cortical opacity were similar to those with no opacity (adjusted mean overall VFQ score 88 vs. 89). Participants who developed advanced AMD between the 5-year and subsequent administration of the VFQ (n=127) had an average decrease in score of 8.13 (P<0.001). Average decrease was 0.64 in those who did not develop advanced AMD between the two administrations. Conclusion:Our findings add support for the use of the NEI-VFQ as a measure of vision targeted, health-related quality of life in persons at risk for the development of advanced AMD and lens opacity.
Keywords: 308 age-related macular degeneration • 338 cataract • 536 quality of life