A comparative study of vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) among glaucoma and nonglaucoma patients at a tertiary care center of North India

PURPOSE: Glaucoma influences vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) of an individual in various ways. There are very limited studies on the Indian population and the northern part of India. Therefore, we conducted the present study to evaluate VRQoL in glaucoma patients as well as the association between the severity of glaucoma and VRQoL. METHODS: An institution-based, cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted from August 2022 to October 2022 involving 190 participants (95 glaucoma patients and 95 controls). The glaucoma quality of life-15 (GQL-15) questionnaire was explained in their vernacular language by the interviewer. The scoring was given according to the validated scoring algorithm for the questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean GQL score in the control group was 19.66 ± 5.5 and in glaucoma cases was 32.8 ± 10.2, whereas the mean score of mild glaucoma cases was 22.3 ± 4.83, moderate glaucoma cases was 36.3 ± 4.09, and severe glaucoma cases was 47.24 ± 3.03. Therefore, as the severity of glaucoma increases, the GQL score also increases, indicating poorer quality of life. Visual field loss was strongly positively correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.759, P < 0.01) with the GQL-15 score, while a weaker positive correlation was found with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), cup disc ratio, and duration of treatment. CONCLUSION: Besides controlling or reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) to the target level, the goal of glaucoma treatment should be to provide an individual with good functional vision to maintain an acceptable quality of life. It would also help in providing patients with the best possible treatment, not only in terms of good vision but also in maintaining or improving their overall quality of life.