Optometry Unit, Department of Clinical Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, St. Augustine 685509, Trinidad and Tobago.
Department of Optometry, College of Health Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 3629, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 24;20(14):6436. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146436.
This cross-sectional study investigated the health-related and vision-related quality of life measures of adults with low vision compared to healthy individuals in Trinidad and Tobago. The health-related quality of life (HRQOL-14) and the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) were administered to 20 participants with low vision caused by diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, as well as 20 participants with no visual problems (control). Participants were recruited from the University Eye Clinic in Trinidad and Tobago. Compared to the controls, more participants in the low-vision group had lower age-adjusted NEI-VFQ-25 scores (48.3% vs. 95.1%; < 0.001), had poor general (47.5% vs. 10%, = 0.004) and mental (100% vs. 10%, < 0.042) health, experienced greater activity limitation due to impairment or health problems (85% vs. 20%, < 0.001), needed help with personal care (27.5% vs. 0%, < 0.009) and daily routine (67.5% vs. 0%, < 0.001), and experienced sleep problems (97.5% vs. 65%, < 0.001) and symptoms of anxiety (100% vs. 90%, = 0.042). All the diabetic retinopathy participants (100%, = 0.028) had two or more impairments or vision problems compared to none in the other low-vision participants. In summary, the HRQOL-14 and NEI-VFQ-25 scores were significantly reduced in low-vision participants, who also demonstrated a greater vulnerability to poor quality of life in the presence of diabetes retinopathy. These findings have important clinical implications regarding offering appropriate support and interventions to improve quality of life outcomes in individuals with low vision.
本横断面研究调查了特立尼达和多巴哥低视力成年人与健康个体的健康相关和视力相关生活质量测量结果。向 20 名由糖尿病性视网膜病变、色素性视网膜炎、青光眼和黄斑变性引起的低视力患者以及 20 名无视力问题的患者（对照组）发放健康相关生活质量（HRQOL-14）和国家眼科研究所视觉功能问卷（NEI-VFQ-25）。参与者是从特立尼达和多巴哥大学眼科诊所招募的。与对照组相比，低视力组中年龄调整后 NEI-VFQ-25 评分较低的患者更多（48.3%比 95.1%；<0.001），一般健康状况较差（47.5%比 10%， = 0.004）和心理健康状况较差（100%比 10%，<0.042），因身体损伤或健康问题导致活动受限的程度更大（85%比 20%，<0.001），需要他人帮助进行个人护理（27.5%比 0%，<0.009）和日常活动（67.5%比 0%，<0.001），并经历睡眠问题（97.5%比 65%，<0.001）和焦虑症状（100%比 90%， = 0.042）。与其他低视力患者相比，所有糖尿病性视网膜病变患者（100%， = 0.028）都有两个或更多的损伤或视力问题。总之，低视力患者的 HRQOL-14 和 NEI-VFQ-25 评分显著降低，并且在存在糖尿病性视网膜病变的情况下，他们的生活质量也更差。这些发现对于为低视力患者提供适当的支持和干预措施以改善生活质量结果具有重要的临床意义。
