The quality of life associated with presbyopia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the health-related quality of life associated with the presbyopia.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, patient preference-based, time trade-off utility analysis.


METHODS
One hundred and ten patients with spectacle-corrected presbyopia and a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better were interviewed in a cross-sectional fashion using a standardized, validated, time trade-off utility analysis questionnaire.


RESULTS
The mean utility associated with the health state of presbyopia in our sample was 0.980 (standard deviation, 0.086; 95% confidence interval, 0.964 to 0.996). Ten percent of the cohort had a presbyopia-associated utility of 0.95 or less. Age, gender, level of education, marital status, and the degree of presbyopia did not significantly affect the time trade-off utilities associated with presbyopia.


CONCLUSIONS
Presbyopia corrected with glasses is associated with a nominal decrease in quality of life, similar to that of treated hypertension, for the average person with the condition. Approximately 10% of such patients theoretically may be candidates for an intervention other than spectacles to correct the condition.
Luo
Betsy P
BP
Center for Value-Based Medicine, Flourtown, Pennsylvania 19031, USA.
Brown
Gary C
GC
Luo
Solomon C
SC
Brown
Melissa M
MM
D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014792:Visual Acuity