Abstract
(1) Background: Chronic diseases affect patients’ quality of life. Age Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the most prevalent chronic ocular diseases. The study aims to measure the anxiety and quality of life related to vision in patients with AMD, as well as the relationship with other visual and demographic parameters. (2) Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study in AMD patients. Visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), line difference in the Colenbrander test, and the degree of pathology were measured. Other variables such as gender, age, and time from the diagnosis were also collected. Anxiety was measured with the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and quality of life with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was followed. (3) Results: Patients with higher punctuation in Trait STAI showed lower punctuation in NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire (Spearman coefficient −0.415; p = 0.001). The variables VA, CS, and age were correlated to the quality of life. The relationship between trait anxiety and subscales of NEI VFQ-25 was significant for all subscales (p < 0.05), except for social functioning, peripheral vision, general vision, ocular pain, and driving. (4) Conclusions: AMD patients with higher levels of anxiety show a decrease in their quality of life. The quality of life of AMD patients depends on their VA and CS.
Highlights
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the USA and the third cause in the world
Regarding the severity of the AMD, 15.00% of the subjects were in an early stage, 32.50% in an intermediate state, and 52.50% suffer from an advanced AMD
This study shows how AMD patients suffer from anxiety and have a low quality of life
Summary
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the USA and the third cause in the world. The National Eye Institute predicts that 5.4 million people will suffer AMD in the USA by 2050 [1]. The incidence of AMD grows, making AMD an important challenge for Public Health Systems [2]. In a global meta-analysis on almost 130,000 subjects, AMD prevalence was 9% in people between 45- and 85-years old [3]. Prevalence increases with age as the Spanish Eyes. This study was carried out in different places across Spain, and the authors found an AMD prevalence of 1% in people aged between 65 and 74, and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
