Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess vision-related quality of life and associated factors among adult patients with visual impairment at the University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods The institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 24 to May 12, 2017, at the University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center among 484 patients with visual impairment. Pretested, structured National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 was used to collect data by interviewing. Data were entered using EPI-INFO version 3.5.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with vision-related quality of life. Variables with p value <0.05 in multivariable logistic regression were considered as statistically significant. Result A total of 484 study subjects participated with a response rate of 98.9%. The median age of the participants was 60 years with the interquartile range of 25 years. The proportion of poor vision-related quality of life was 238 (49.2%) (95% CI: 44.2%–53.3%). Age >75 years (AOR = 1.87 (95% CI: 1.02–3.40)), rural residency (AOR = 1.71 (95% CI: 1.13–2.60)), severe visual impairment/blindness (AOR = 2.76 (95% CI: 1.80–4.23)), and history of visual impairment longer than 3 years (AOR = 2.85 (95% CI: 1.61–5.04)) had statistically significant association with poor vision-related quality of life. Conclusion Almost half of the patients with visual impairment had poor vision-related quality of life. Severe visual impairment/blindness, long duration of visual impairment, older age, and rural residency had a statistically significant association with poor vision-related quality of life.
Highlights
Vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) is defined as a person’s satisfaction with their visual ability and how their vision impacts on their daily life [1]
An institutionbased cross-sectional study was conducted from April 24 to May 12, 2017. e study was conducted at the University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center. is eye care center provides a comprehensive clinical and community eye health services for eight zones and serves as a major referral center for 14 million people living in Northwest Ethiopia
Participants aged greater than 75 years were 1.87 times more likely to have poor VRQOL compared to those who were less than 45 years old (AOR 1.87)
Summary
Vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) is defined as a person’s satisfaction with their visual ability and how their vision impacts on their daily life [1]. Since it is a broad concept, it can be affected in a complex way by the person’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, and social relationships [2]. Vision has a vital role for best performance in functional and social life. Visual impairment leads to a restriction in all areas of life and, in particular, VRQOL by reducing activities associated with participation in society and religion, mobility, recreation, daily living, and intense visual tasks [4, 5]. Visual impairment is associated with depression, frustration, and anxiety because of the impairment and because of the accompanying worry that the condition may worsen or the difficulty in adjusting to reduced activity [6]
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