The Development of the Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction (QIRC) Questionnaire.

• To develop an instrument for the comprehensive measurement of the impact of refractive correction on quality of life in the pre-presbyopic age group. • To design the questionnaire to be relevant to refractive correction by spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery such that it is suitable for comparison between correction mode and for studies of treatment outcome. Background • The measurement of quality of life has become an essential component of outcomes assessment. • At the most fundamental level questionnaire-based quality of life assessment represents a standardisation of the clinical practice of gaining a subjective evaluation of treatment (or disease) impact from the patient. • This is especially relevant to refractive outcome because of the difficulties of measuring subtleties of visual outcome for refractive surgery or other refractive correction. Methods To ensure construct validity1 the following steps for questionnaire development were taken: • Domain selection • Item selection • Initial item reductio