The influence of the refractive correction on the vision-related quality of life in keratoconus patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of refractive correction [spectacles vs rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (RGP CLs)] on the vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) obtained with the standardized questionnaire, NEI-VFQ-25, in keratoconus patients compared with healthy myopic subjects.


METHODS
The Spanish version of NEI-VFQ-25 was administered two consecutive times to 25 keratoconus patients (RGP CL wearers) and 25 healthy myopic subjects (RGP and soft CL wearers). The first time was to assess the VR-QoL for spectacle wearing, such as those for refractive correction, and the second time was for CL wearing.


RESULTS
Keratoconus patients showed a lower VR-QoL impairment (P < 0.01) than healthy subjects in the total and all subscale score of NEI-VFQ-25 related to wearing spectacles. With CL correction, keratoconus patients showed a VR-QoL improvement with statistically significant differences (P < 0.04) in only four subscales, including distance activities, mental health, color vision and peripheral vision, compared with healthy subjects. In the keratoconus group, compared to spectacle use, CL wear improved the VR-QoL score (P = 0.01) and all subscales except for ocular pain (P < 0.01) and mental health (P = 0.25).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of the NEI-VFQ-25 to explore the difference in the VR-QoL between healthy subjects and patients with keratoconus provides further evidence of improved VR-QoL with RGP CL wear compared with spectacles in keratoconus patients. RGP CL management in keratoconus patients could minimize the impact of the disease on the patient's well-being.
Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 17 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Optometry Research Group, IOBA Eye Institute, School of Optometry, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Sara
S
Ortiz-Toquero
Optometry Research Group, IOBA Eye Institute, School of Optometry, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Sofia
S
Perez
Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 17 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Optometry Research Group, IOBA Eye Institute, School of Optometry, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Guadalupe
G
Rodriguez
Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 17 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.|Optometry Research Group, IOBA Eye Institute, School of Optometry, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Victoria
V
de Juan
Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa e IMUVA, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain.
Agustin
A
Mayo-Iscar
Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain. raul@ioba.med.uva.es.|Instituto Universitario de Oftalmobiología Aplicada (IOBA), Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 17 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain. raul@ioba.med.uva.es.|Optometry Research Group, IOBA Eye Institute, School of Optometry, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. raul@ioba.med.uva.es.|Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa e IMUVA, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo de Belén, 7 - Campus Miguel Delibes, 47011, Valladolid, Spain. raul@ioba.med.uva.es.
Raul
R
Martin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003261:Contact Lenses; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
Keratoconus; Quality of Life; Refractive correction; Rigid gas-permeable contact lens management