Vision-related quality of life considering both eyes: results from the German population-based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)

PURPOSE: Most definitions of visual impairment focus on the status of the better-seeing eye only, but this approach might underestimate the influence of the worse-seeing eye on the vision-related quality of life (VRQoL). METHODS: We assessed distance-corrected visual acuity in both eyes and VRQoL using the “National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire” (NEI VFQ-25) in the German population-based Gutenberg Health Study. We calculated the Rasch-based visual functioning scale (VFS) and socioemotional scale (SES). We categorized the visual acuity of the better-seeing eye (BE) and worse-seeing eye (WE) as follows: (1) no visual impairment (VI) (< 0.32 logMAR)), (2) mild VI (0.32–0.5 logMAR), and (3) moderate to severe VI (> 0.5 logMAR). Next, the subjects were categorized as follows: both eyes with no VI (no/no), the better-seeing eye with no VI and the worse-seeing eye with mild VI (no/mild), no VI/severe VI (no/severe), both eyes with mild VI (mild/mild), light VI/severe VI (mild/severe), and both eyes with severe VI (severe/severe). We calculated the median scores for VFS and SES. We used linear regression to estimate the combined influence of BE/WE on VFS and SES. RESULTS: We included 11,941 participants (49.9% female, age range: 35–74 years) with information on VRQoL and visual acuity. The median VFS/SES scores were 90/100 (no/no VI group), 84/97 (no/mild group), 81/94 (no/severe group), 70/90 (mild/mild group), 67/74 (mild/severe group), and 63/76 (severe/severe group). These differences were supported by the regression analysis results. CONCLUSION: Relying on the function of the better-seeing eye considerably underestimates the impact of visual impairment on VRQoL. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12955-019-1158-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.