Vision-related quality of life and choroidal neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Objective: To describe the impact of choroidal neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) on vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in a sample of Brazilian patients, demonstrate the ability of the NEI-VFQ 25 to evaluate the impact of treatment for nAMD on VRQoL, and make recommendations for incorporating the NEI-VFQ 25 into routine clinical practice. Methods: This observational clinical study included 87 patients clinically diagnosed with nAMD between September 2013 and November 2016 at three ophthalmology referral centers in São Paulo and Paraná (Brazil). At the end of the treatment, a validated Portuguese-language version of the NEI-VFQ 25 was self-administered, covering 12 domains. The findings were correlated with age, gender, disease laterality, and best-corrected visual acuity (VA) of the best eye and the worst eye. Results: All the measured variables affected VRQoL, especially laterality, followed by age and gender. VA of the best eye significantly affected the greatest number of domains. In contrast, VA of the worst eye was nonsignificant in all domains. Conclusions: In nAMD patients, maintaining VA (Snellen) ≥0.5 in the best eye is essential for sustained VRQoL, regardless of VA in the worst eye. The incorporation of the NEI-VFQ 25 into routine clinical practice is strongly recommended.