title: Quality of Life in Glaucoma: A Review of the Literature.
abstract: The ultimate goal of glaucoma management is the preservation of patients' visual function and quality of life (QoL). The disease itself as well as the medical or surgical treatment can have an enormous impact on a patient's QoL. Even the mere diagnosis of a chronic, irreversible, potentially blinding disorder can adversely affect the patient's sense of well-being and QoL by eliciting significant anxiety. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma rarely present with visual symptoms, at least early in the course of the disease. A better understanding of patient-reported QoL can improve patient-physician interaction and enhance treatment adherence by customizing treatment options based on individual patient profile, thus optimizing long-term prognosis. These aspects are summarized and critically appraised in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. luciano.quaranta@unibs.it.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quaranta
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerardi
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Fondazione G.B. Bietti, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oddone
authors.affiliation: IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Floriani
authors.affiliation: 1st and 3rd University Departments of Ophthalmology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasios G P
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Konstas
mesh_terms: D019468:Disease Management; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D058609:Visual Field Tests
keywords: Glaucoma; Ophthalmology; Quality of life; Quality of life assessment; Visual field loss