General Health-Related Quality of Life in Aphakic Children with Unilateral Congenital Cataract.

PURPOSE: To evaluate general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with congenital cataract to better understand how the condition affects their QoL.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included all unilateral aphakic children, from 2 to 7 years old, who were referred to the Farabi Eye hospital Contact Lens Clinic in Tehran, Iran from October 2018 to September 2019. Their HRQoL was assessed with the Persian version of pediatric quality of life inventory™ (PedsQL™) 4.0 Generic Core Scale.

RESULTS

A total number of 38 children (18 girls and 20 boys) enrolled in the study. Their mean age at the time of referral was 40.05 months. Based on PedsQL 4.0 scoring instruction, Physical Functioning Scale Score (90.29), Emotional Functioning Scale Score (78.15), and Social Functioning Scale Score (88.81) were calculated. Psychosocial health summary score (83.48) and physical health summary score (90.29) were also measured using their instructions. The average psychosocial health summary score (83.48) and physical health summary score (90.29) ultimately determined the PedsQL 4.0 total score (86.89).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results revealed that congenital cataract has a bigger psychosocial impact rather than physical, according to both children and parents. This could emphasize the significance of psychosocial support and information concerning the long-term visual prognosis.