Vision-Related Quality of Life Associated with Unilateral and Bilateral Ocular Conditions

To present ophthalmic patient time-tradeoff vision utilities for quantifying vision-related quality-of-life when the fellow eye still has good vision. These utilities are important for performing reliable cost-utility analyses.

Consecutive time-tradeoff vision utilities were obtained from ophthalmic patients with good vision (20/20-20/25) in one eye and vision ranging from 20/20 to no light perception in the fellow eye over a 15-year period from 2000 through 2014.

Five hundred eighty-six ophthalmic participant interviews from Wills Eye Hospital, New York Eye and Ear Hospital, and ophthalmology office practices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Participants underwent a full ophthalmic examination, after which time-tradeoff vision utilities were obtained by personal interview by the authors using a standardized, validated instrument.

Time-tradeoff vision utilities.

Mean time-tradeoff vision utilities were as follows in participants with good vision (20/20-20/25) in at least one eye and the following visions in the fellow eyes: no light perception, 0.79; counting fingers to light perception, 0.87; 20/200 to 20/400, 0.88; 20/60 to 20/100, 0.88; 20/30 to 20/50, 0.87; and 20/20 to 20/25, 0.94.

In people with good vision (20/20-20/25) in one eye, the associated mean time-tradeoff vision utility is a remarkably consistent 0.87 to 0.88 when vision in the fellow eye ranges from 20/30 to light perception. Vision of 20/20 to 20/25 in the fellow eye results in a significantly higher associated utility of 0.94 (P < 0.01), whereas vision of no light perception in the fellow eye results in a significantly lower utility of 0.079 (P < 0.01). These utilities are important for calculating reliable patient value (quality-adjusted life-year) gains in ophthalmic cost-utility analysis populations in which there is unilateral and bilateral disease involvement.