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Design of a novel low vision questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life and independence
Author(s) -
Almpanidou Stavroula,
Almaliotis Diamantis,
Labiris Georgios,
Topouzis Fotis,
Dardavesi Theodoros,
Karampatakis Vasileios
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2019.5423
Subject(s) - cronbach's alpha , quality of life (healthcare) , visual impairment , internal consistency , psychology , medicine , independence (probability theory) , perception , low vision , optometry , clinical psychology , psychometrics , psychiatry , nursing , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience
Purpose To develop a novel vision‐ related quality‐ of‐ life questionnaire for patients with low vision. Methods The content for questionnaire items was determined through personal interview with patients facing various ocular diseases (aAge‐ rRelated mMacular dDegeneration, dDiabetic rRetinopathy, etc.) and with bBest cCorrected vVisual aAcuity (BCVA) ranging from light perception to 0.2 logMAR. Patients were asked to define the most important activities in their everyday lives and difficulties due to their visual impairment. Analysis following interview identified groups of items which formed the questionnaire's scales and subscales that were evaluated for internal consistency. All eligible persons had to be 18 years or older and cognitively able to give informed consent for participation. Results Fifty patients with a mean (standard deviation, SD) age of 54.6 (29.9) years were studied. Items that were internally inconsistent, unreliable or not relevant were excluded, resulting in the 50‐item quality‐ of‐ life and independence assessment questionnaire. Items were distributed into 7 different functional visual domains: mobility under various luminance conditions, self‐care, shopping, communication, social life, technology and education–‐work life. There were no significant differences among patients regarding their general health (p = 0.444). The questionnaire was proved to have a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.8). The average score of patients with low vision was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than the average score of those with BCVA > 0.5 logMAR and significantly higher (p < 0.001) than those with BCVA < 1.3 logMAR. Conclusions There is preliminary evidence that questionnaire has good internal consistency (alpha > 0.8, n = 50). Results also suggest that the questionnaire seems to be sensitive to subgroup differences by measuring the vision‐ related quality of life and independence. The instrument is going to be further refined following this pilot study.