Quality of Life of the Blind: Looking through a Wider “Lens” Beyond the Medical “Eye”

Abstract

Over one-fourth of the global population experience Visual Impairment and Blindness (VI&B) where they often experience significant challenges than those who can 'see'. Despite the subject of Quality of Life (QoL) being extensively researched, there is little or no focus on explaining this concept as applicable to persons with VI&B. Furthermore, there is no unified characterization of QoL as a construct although diverse views have been presented in general. This paper seeks to explore the concept of QoL in the specific domain of persons with VI&B. In the process, a comprehensive literature search was carried out using multiple electronic databases where 239 publications were consulted. Selected papers were subjected to a content analysis to identify conceptual and measurement principles pertaining to their QoL. The existing vision-specific QoL instruments are mostly domain specific and focus on the medical aspect of a life of quality, disregarding the influence of environmental and personal factors that contribute to their well-being. Results of the analysis pointed to the fact that QoL of persons with VI&B should draw attention to their specific needs, expectations, and values, where a comprehensive characterization that encompasses physical, psychological, social, material, and environmental aspects, along with an evaluation of the individual’s participation, autonomy, personal development, and the impact of vision requires to be explored. This multi-dimensional conceptual model could be used as the basis for the development of a new measure for the assessment of overall quality of life for persons with VI&B.