Abstract
Purpose :
Health-related quality of life (QoL) has emerged as an essential health outcome in population health, clinical trials, and clinical improvement. Both patients with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have compromised QoL as compared to their age-matched counterparts with normal vision. This topic has not been extensively assessed in patients with eye diseases living in low-middle income countries. This cross-sectional, case-control study aimed to compare the QoL between primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and AMD Brazilian patients.
Methods :
Patients with AMD, POAG, and normal controls underwent a complete eye examination including measurement of best-corrected visual acuity, biomicroscopy, tonometry, and eye fundus evaluation; all participants answered the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (VFQ-25). The VFQ-25 consists of a base set of 25 vision-target questions representing 11 vision-related constructs and one additional single-item general health rating question. Each item was scored and an overall composite score was calculated and compared among groups with the ANOVA test.
Results :
The sample comprised 48 patients with AMD, 56 with POAG, and 53 controls. All groups were matched for age, gender, ethnic distribution, and comorbidites. VFQ-25 total score was lower in both POAG (61.8 ± 20.4) and AMD (50.7 ± 20.9) as compared to controls (89.3 ± 9.1, P<0.000); AMD patients’ score was lower than POAG patients (P = 0.04).
Conclusions :
Brazilian patients with POAG and AMD presented significantly lower QoL highlighting the need to improve the care of patients in this middle-income country.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.