Vision function and quality of life outcomes after low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration at a tertiary eye care center

ABSTRACT

To report vision function [VF] and quality of life [QOL] outcomes after low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration [AMD]. A questionnaire developed and validated to assess VF and QOL in cataract patients in south India was administered to 50 patients with AMD before and after providing low vision care between October 1, 1997, and May 31, 2003. The outcome measures included overall changes in VF and QOL after low vision rehabilitation. Rasch analysis was performed on pre and post rehabilitation responses to the QOL and VF instruments using Winsteps package. Visual function The items that were most difficult were reading, writing, needlework, sorting stones from food grains, recognizing faces and light adaptation. Difficulties with these functions reduced significantly after rehabilitation. Quality of Life The items that were most difficult were banking, using public transport, and psychological well-being. Following rehabilitation the visual functioning for banking, daily living skills, and ease of dialing the telephone increased significantly though the visual functioning/satisfaction for the item related to mobility and psychological well-being either remained the same or worsened. The average perceived visual functioning and QOL improved significantly after rehabilitation [p<0.001]. The improvement in visual function [reading, writing, and recognizing faces] and improvement in quality of life [banking, daily living skills, and dialing the telephone] following rehabilitation point to the advantage of low vision rehabilitation in patients with age-related macular degeneration