Evaluation of vision-related quality of life in keratoconus patients, and associated impact of keratoconus severity indicators.

PURPOSE: To evaluate vision-related quality of life in keratoconus patients and associated impact of keratoconus severity indicators using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25).

METHODS

This was a prospective cross-sectional study carried out from November 1, 2014, to April 30, 2015, in the corneal service of the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, Paris, France. A hundred and one keratoconus patients were consecutively enrolled. Participants completed a French-validated version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25). Manifest refraction, maximum keratometry value, and corneal thinnest point were recorded. Associations between clinical and demographic factors, previous medical or surgical treatment, and NEI-VFQ-25 scale scores were evaluated.

RESULTS

Vision-related quality of life was no better in patients managed with rigid gas permeable contact lens, collagen cross-linking, or intracorneal ring segment implantation, compared with untreated patients. In advanced keratoconus (stages II, III, and IV of Amsler-Krumeich classification), rigid gas permeable contact lens wearers had better general vision but more ocular pain. Distance-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40, mean refractive cylinder > 2.5 diopters, and corneal thinnest point < 460 μm in the better eye were associated with a lower vision-related quality of life. In multivariate analysis, only the uncorrected and distance-corrected visual acuity of the better eye remained significantly correlated with vision-related quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Low distance-corrected visual acuity in the better eye was the strongest predictor of low vision-related quality of life.