title: Glaucoma Severity and Participation in Diverse Social Roles: Does Visual Field Loss Matter?
abstract: To assess the association between glaucoma severity and participation in diverse social roles.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  
  Individuals with glaucoma, 50+, with visual acuity in the better eye >20/50 were enrolled. They were classified into 3 groups based on visual field loss in the better eye: mild [mean deviation (MD)>-6 dB], moderate (MD, -6 to -12 dB), and severe (MD<-12 dB). The validated Social Role Participation Questionnaire assessed respondents' perceptions of the importance, difficulty, and satisfaction with participation in 11 social role domains (eg, community events, travel). Differences between groups were examined using multivariate linear regression analyses.
  
  
  
  A total of 118 participants (52% female) were included: 60 mild, 29 moderate, and 29 severe. All social role domains were rated as important by all participants except for education and employment. Women (P<0.01), those with a partner (P<0.01), and those who were less depressed (P=0.03) reported higher scores of perceived importance of participating in social activities. Compared with those with mild glaucoma, individuals with severe glaucoma reported significantly more difficulty participating in community/religious/cultural events (P<0.01), travelling (P<0.01), and relationships with family members (P=0.01). They also reported less satisfaction with travelling (P=0.01) and social events (P=0.04).
  
  
  
  Participation in diverse social roles is valued by individuals with glaucoma. Severe visual field loss impedes involvement in and satisfaction with activities in community/religious/cultural events, travelling, and relationships with family members. Appropriate community and targeted interventions are needed to allow people with severe glaucoma to maintain active social participation-a key component to successful aging.
authors.affiliation: *Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa †Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences §Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto ‡Health Care and Outcomes Research, Toronto Western Research Institute ∥Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Yelin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Graham E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Trope
authors.forename: Yvonne M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Buys
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Badley
authors.forename: Monique A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gignac
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D014794:Visual Fields; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*