Courtright P, Poon C I, Richards J S, Chow D L, Holland S P
British Columbia Centre for Epidemiologic & International Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 1998 Mar;5(1):13-20. doi: 10.1076/opep.5.1.13.1498.
We sought to test the applicability of a well-documented visual function assessment (VF-14) in corneal disease patients wait-listed for penetrating keratoplasty to determine if it would be a valuable addition to a priority scheme.
A systematic random sample of patients wait-listed for penetrating keratoplasty in British Columbia was selected and administered the VF-14.
The mean VF-14 score was 67.2; it was correlated with best corrected vision. Immigrants had lower VF-14 scores and they considered fewer of the questions applicable to them. There was a correlation between the number of questions considered applicable and the VF-14 score.
As currently constituted the VF-14 is probably not a useful tool in a multi-cultural population in North America. We propose revisions to the visual function assessment and suggest its inclusion in a priority scheme for penetrating keratoplasty that also includes pain and other clinical indices.
