Questionnaires Assessing the Quality of Life of Ocular Allergy Patients

Abstract

Over the last 25 years, health-related quality of life has received increasing recognition, as it aids health practitioners in understanding the way a patient may be impacted by their health condition. Specifically, ocular allergy has been found to affect an individual emotionally, physically, socially, and economically. Hence, scientists have developed multiple questionnaires, based on the different etiologies of ocular allergy, to assess the quality of life of individuals affected by the condition. One highly regarded questionnaire is the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and its variations, namely the Standardised Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, Nocturnal Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, Adolescent Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Paediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire. Other questionnaires include the Eye Allergy Patient Impact Questionnaire and the Quality of Life of Children with Allergic Keratoconjunctivitis questionnaire, among others that are suitable for different countries. The purpose of this commentary was to identify the advantages and disadvantages of each questionnaire by critically analyzing psychometric properties, identifying which ocular allergy domains are present, and evaluating additional features that are important to a questionnaire.