Test-retest reliability of the revised diplopia questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Diplopia, or double vision, significantly impacts patient quality of life.
• Standardized questionnaires like the diplopia questionnaire (DQ) are used to assess diplopia outcomes.
• Understanding the reliability and accuracy of these questionnaires is crucial for clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the misclassification rate of "success" when using the standardized diplopia questionnaire (DQ).
• To report the test-retest reliability of the DQ in patients with stable strabismus.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort of 100 patients with stable strabismus completed the DQ at two visits.
• Misclassification rates were assessed by comparing DQ results using two definitions of success.
• Test-retest variability was analyzed using 95% limits of agreement (LOA) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).

Main Results:

• Misclassification occurred in 12% of patients when success was defined for distance vision only.
• Misclassification rose to 14% when success included both distance and reading.
• The DQ demonstrated good test-retest reliability with an ICC of 0.85 and 95% LOA of 35.2 points.

Conclusions:

• The study quantifies misclassification and test-retest variability of the DQ.
• Clinicians can use this data to better interpret DQ outcome measures in clinical practice and research.
• Awareness of potential misclassification is important for accurate assessment of diplopia outcomes.