Factors associated with quality of life in persons with glaucoma

Istraživanje je imalo za cilj da validira upitnike Glaucoma Quality of Life 15 (GQL-15) i Glaucoma Symptome Scale (GSS) na srpskom jeziku, da proceni uticaja stadijuma glaukoma na kvalitet života (QOL) obolelih i da identifikuje prediktivne faktore QOL. Materijal i metode: Selekcija ispitanika je vršena nakon pregleda koji je uključivao i ispitivanje vidnog polja (KVP) na osnovu kojeg je glaukom obolelih razvrstan na početni, srednji i uznapredovali glaukom. QOL je procenjivan upitnicima: GQL-15, GSS, upitnikom Nacionalnog instituta za vid (NEI VFQ-25) i opštim upitnikom za merenje kvaliteta života SF-36. Upitnici GQL-15 i GSS su validirani klasičnom i Rasch analizom. Identifikacija prediktivnih faktora je vršena multiplom linearnom regresijom. Rezultati: U istraživanje je bilo uključeno ukupno 306 obolelih, prosečne starosti 63,0+12,9 godina. Kod najvećeg broja ispitanika (54,9%) bio je zabeležen početni stadijum glaukoma. Upitnici GQL-15 i GSS su pokazali dobru validnost prilikom ispitivanja psihometrijskih karakteristika. Osim u slučaju upitnika SF-36, zabeleženo je statistički značajno pogoršanje QOL sa napredovanjem stadijuma glaukoma. Izdvojeni su sledeći faktori kao prediktori pogoršanja QOL: starija životna dob, kasniji stadijum glaukoma, niža stručna sprema, više vrednosti indeksa KVP, veći broj laserskih intervencija. Faktori koji su bili povezani sa boljim QOL su bili: muški pol, mlađa životna dob, viša školska sprema, život u staračkom domu, prestanak vožnje automobila zbog očnih problema, redovna rekreacija i niži stadijum glaukoma. Zaključak: Upitnici GQL-15 i GSS na srpskom jeziku su pouzdani instrumenti za merenje QOL kod glaukoma. Ustanovljena je jaka veza između napredovanja stadijuma glaukoma i pogoršanja QOL, kao i niz prediktivnih faktora koji su povezani sa QOL.The goal was to validate Serbian versions of the Glaucoma quality of life 15 (GQL-15) and the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS) questionnaires, to assess the influence of glaucoma stage on quality of life (QOL) and to indentify its predicitve factors. Materials and methods: All the participants had an ophthalmological exam, including a visual fiel (VF) exam based on which the glaucoma of patients were classified as mild, moderate and advanced glaucoma. All participants filled in the GQL-15, GSS, National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) and Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires. The Serbian versions of the GQL-15 and GSS were validated using the classical and Rasch analysis. Predictive factors were indentified using multiple linear regression. Results: Overall, 306 participants were recruited in the study. The average age of our patients was 63,0+12,9 years. The majority of the participants (54,9%) had glaucoma classified as mild glaucoma. The GQL-15 and GSS showed good psycometric properties. Exept for the SF-36 questionnaire, all vision-specific questionnaires showed statistically significant deterioration of the QOL according to disease progression. Statistical models indentified the following predictive factors of lower QOL: female sex, older age, more advances glaucoma stadium, lower educational status, higher VF indices, higher nuber of interventions by laser. Furthermore, factors associated with better QOL were: male sex, younger age, higher education, life in a nursing home, cessation of driving due to vision impairment, regular physical activity and less advanced stage of glaucoma. Conclusion: The Serbian versions of GQL-15 and GSS are valid instruments for measurment of QOL. A strong association was observed between the severity of glaucoma and QOL deterioration. Numerous other factors are associated with QOL in glaucoma