ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate quality of life and visual functions in patients with keratoconus wearing rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. METHODS: Keratometry and objective refraction, uncorrected visual acuity, visual acuity with RGP contact lens, high order aberrations and letter contrast sensitivity before and after RGP application were measured in 22 keratoconus patients. Vision-related quality of life was examined by the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ 25) RESULTS: The average spherical equivalent in the study group was -7.28 (+/- 5.53), the average keratometry was 50.04 D (+/- 4.24) and the average corneal astigmatism -3,44 Dcyl (+/- 2,72). The uncorrected visual acuity was 0.20 (+/- 0.18), the corrected visual acuity 0.78 (+/- 0.22). The improvement of visual acuity after RGP fitting was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The RGP fitting didn't cause significant changes in high order aberrations and in contrast sensitivity. The NEI-VFQ overall score was 79.2. Keratoconus was associated with lower scores in these categories: dependency, mental health and ocular pain. CONCLUSION: Keratoconus is a disease which may have a marked impact on the quality of life beacuse it affects young adults in their active years. The use of RGP correction can significantly improve visual acuity but, at least in our study group, did not lead to significant improvement in contrast sensitivity and corneal aberrations.
Subject(s)
Keratoconus/physiopathology , Quality of Life , Vision, Ocular , Adult , Contact Lenses , Female , Humans , Keratoconus/therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Visual Acuity , Young AdultABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: The aim is to report a rare complication of surgical ptosis correction in a patient with Kearns Sayre syndrome and the therapeutic possibilities of its treatment. METHODS: Exposure corneal ulceration caused by lagophtalmos developed gradually in a 30-year-old woman after an upper eyelid ptosis surgery of the right eye performed at another eye clinic. During an examination a limited movement of both eyes and retinal pigmentary changes (salt-pepper-like appearance) were diagnosed. A suspicion of the Kearns Sayre syndrome was expressed according to the clinical picture, the diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analyses in muscle biopsy, which revealed 5.2 kb deletion of mitochondrial DNA. RESULTS: Corneal ulceration was treated by partial external tarsorrhaphy and frequent instillation of lubricants. The upper eyelid ptosis of the left eye was treated with a spectacle with ptosis support. CONCLUSION: During the correction of upper eyelid ptosis in patients with progressive external ophtalmoplegia it is necessary to be aware of the risk of surgical exposure keratopathy and corneal ulceration due to the atony of musculus orbicularis oculi muscle and only slightly expressed Bell's phenomenon.
Subject(s)
Blepharoptosis/surgery , Corneal Ulcer/etiology , Kearns-Sayre Syndrome/complications , Postoperative Complications , Adult , Blepharoptosis/complications , Female , HumansABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To test the Czech version of a validated questionnaire in assessing health-related quality of life in patients with glaucoma and also determine the level of understanding of their disease. METHODS: Quality of life was assessed using the NEI-VFQ 25 (National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire) in 20 patients with open-angle glaucoma. Results of the questionnaire were processed by standardized methods and a score between 0 and 100 was assigned to each of the 12 subscales, where 100 represents the best possible score on the scale and 0 represents the worst. The awareness of patients about glaucoma was elicited by 9 questions concerning the origin, course, diagnostic methods and prognosis of glaucoma. RESULTS: The lowest scores in our study group were associated with the subscales of general vision (61.4 +/- 19.7), mental health (61.4 +/- 17.4), role limitations (72.1 +/- 26.7), and dependency (58.3 +/- 23). Our knowledge inquiry revealed poor level of knowledge about glaucoma in our study group. CONCLUSIONS: in our study, the NEI-VFQ 25 proved to be useful and the scores comparable to the results published abroad. The results of our knowledge inquiry suggest that there is an urgent need for patients to receive more information. Patients who are more knowledgeable of their condition are more likely to be adherent to treatment.
