Dr.Meena Thotakura
Purpose: To assess the impact of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) on Vision Related Quality of Life (VR-QoL) in South Indian population.
Methods: VR-QoL was assessed through the Indian Vision Function Questionnaire (IND-VFQ-33) in 90 patients with significant visual impairment due to AMD and equal number of healthy controls. The subjects underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination and the IND-VFQ-33 was administered by a trained coordinator.
Results: Scores of the three subscales of IND-VFQ-33 (vision specific mobility, psychosocial impact and visual symptoms) and total scores were analysed using the paired “t” test. Subjects with AMD had higher scores and hence poorer VR-QoL across all three subscales compared with controls with p value <0.001. There was also a statistically significant difference in scores between patients with unilateral and bilateral involvement. Conclusion: VR-QoL is significantly reduced in subjects with AMD as compared to healthy controls.
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