Visual field loss has ‘significant impact’ on quality of life in congenital glaucoma
Visual field defects correlated with mental health and other quality of life subscale measures patients with primary congenital glaucoma, according to findings published in European Journal of Ophthalmology.
“Although many researchers have evaluated the results of medical and surgical treatment of congenital glaucoma, there is a paucity of studies about the quality of life in these children when they start adulthood,” Arezoo Miraftabi, MD, and colleagues wrote.
cross-sectional, hospital-based study 23 adults with primary congenital glaucoma (mean age, 29.22 years; women, n = 12). Patients received ophthalmologic exams and completed an approved, Persian language version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Higher NEI VFQ-25 scores show “better function and wellbeing,” researchers wrote.
The mental health subscale had lowest mean score at 53.71 points; conversely, the highest subscale score was color vision at 83.69 points, .
isual field defect had a “significant influence” on general health (R = 0.65; P = .007) and general vision (R = 0.71; P = .002) subscales there were also correlations with low social functioning (R = 0.53; P = .035) and peripheral vision (R = 0.76; P = .001).
“This study showed a significant impact of visual field loss and lower self-reported NEI-VFQ-25 subscales,” researchers wrote.
Perspective
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Many optometrists have diagnosed, treated and discussed glaucoma with their geriatric patients. A less common experience for eye doctors is discussing glaucoma with a patient in their 20s or 30s who has had the disease since birth. With these younger patients, while lowering IOP and stopping visual field progression remain a top priority, we must also consider quality of life (QOL) measurements in this population who from an early age, face lifelong treatment for a potentially blinding disease.
This study found that more advanced visual field loss, corneal opacity and older age had a negative correlation with vision-related QOL in patients with PCG. The mental health subscale score was lower for “social functioning” and scores were lower overall for “general health” and “general vision,” as well.
As the authors have reminded us, social withdrawal and depression is more common in patients with glaucoma even at early stages of the disease. We need to be sensitive to and remember that coping with vision loss and its ramifications can potentially be even more difficult for younger patients with PCG, who tend to have higher functional expectations and face a longer disease course.
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