Visual function and quality of life in Korean patients with glaucoma

The relationship between visual acuity, the level of visual field impairment, visual functioning, and the quality of life was evaluated in Korean patients with glaucoma. Forty-three consecutive glaucoma patients from the glaucoma service at Severance Eye and Ear Hospital were included in this study. Each subject underwent a vision-specific functional status questionnaire (VF-14), a modified VF-14 (VF'-14) and general quality-of-life questionnaires of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Items Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The visual acuity and visual field measurements with a Humphrey automated perimeter were taken within one month of the initial visit. The mean age of the subjects was 57.9 +/- 17.8. Among these patients, there were 23 males and 20 females. The mean deviation (MD) and the corrected pattern standard deviation (CPSD) by the automated perimeter in the eye with the better visual acuity were -5.87 +/- 5.16 dB and 3.92 +/- 2.74 dB respectively. The VF-14 and SF-36 scores were 41.28 +/- 14.56 and 52.39 +/- 6.61 respectively. There were significant correlations between the VF-14, VF'-14, and the MD of the better eye (p < 0.05). In Korean patients with glaucoma, the VF-14 and VF'-14 have significant relationship with the MD of the better eye in the visual field.