Comparison of quality of life between myopic patients with spectacles and contact lenses, and patients who have undergone refractive surgery

PURPOSE: The present study aims at investigating and comparing the vision-related quality of life of myopic persons who wear spectacles or contact lenses with those who have undergone refractive surgery. It also compares the vision-related quality of life of these two groups with that of emmetropes. METHOD: In this study, the questionnaire of evaluation instrument of refractive error in quality of life (NEI/RQL-42) was used to compare the quality of life between 154 myopic patients with spectacles and contact lenses, and 32 patients who have undergone refractive surgery. The two groups were also compared with 54 emmetropes. The questionnaire included 13 different subgroups (score 0–100) related to vision. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The overall score of quality of life in emmetropes (95.11 ± 4.23) was more than that in persons who had undergone refractive surgery (86.98 ± 4.73), and it was the least in the group wearing spectacles or contact lenses (78.30 ± 9.21), (P < 0/001). Furthermore, except for a glare variable, the studied groups indicated a statistically significant difference in all the thirteen subgroups of vision-related quality of life. CONCLUSION: Quality of life for people with myopia who had the refractive surgery was better than people with myopia who wore spectacles or contact lenses. Although quality of life in people with myopia who had the refractive surgery was less than emmetropia, it seems that refractive surgery improves quality of life of myopic patients.