Vision-related quality of life in patients with pituitary adenoma

To evaluate the vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) in patients with pituitary adenoma.

Prospective, consecutive, comparative case series.

A VR-QOL questionnaire was distributed to 154 patients with pituitary adenoma and 81 normal controls. These were presurgical patients. VR-QOL was measured using the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25). The influence of various factors on VFQ-25 score was assessed, including age, logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR BCVA), critical flicker fusion frequency, Humphrey static perimetry scores, and the duration of ocular symptoms.

The VFQ-25 composite score was significantly lower in patients with pituitary adenoma than in the normal controls (P < .001), with significant differences in all subscales except for color vision. The VFQ-25 composite score in patients with pituitary adenoma was significantly correlated with logMAR BCVA, mean deviation (MD) and corrected pattern standard deviation (CPSD) of Humphrey perimetry, critical flicker fusion frequency, and the duration of ocular symptoms. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that MD score in the better-seeing eye (r = 0.69; P < .001) and the duration of ocular symptoms associated with pituitary adenoma (r = -0.36; P < .001) were significantly related to the VFQ-25 composite score.

The VR-QOL is significantly deteriorated in patients with pituitary adenoma. The degree of visual field defect in the better-seeing eye and duration of ocular symptoms were found to be significantly related to the decline of VR-QOL in these patients.