Patient-Reported Outcomes After Corneal Transplantation

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Corneal transplantation is a common procedure to restore vision.
• Different keratoplasty techniques exist, including penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and various lamellar keratoplasty methods (DALK, DSAEK, DMEK).
• Understanding the impact of these techniques on vision-related quality of life is crucial for patient care and surgical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) among patients who underwent four types of corneal transplantation: PKP, DALK, DSAEK, and DMEK.
• To utilize the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-9) for assessing VRQoL.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Sight Outcomes Research Collaborative ophthalmology electronic health record repository.
• Questionnaire responses were collected from 103 PKP, 24 DALK, 42 DSAEK, and 50 DMEK patients postoperatively.
• Nonparametric and linear regression analyses were employed to examine associations between clinical characteristics and VRQoL.

Main Results:

• Patients reported similar VRQoL scores between DMEK and DSAEK, and between DALK and PKP.
• Higher postoperative visual acuities in both operative and fellow eyes correlated significantly with better VRQoL scores.
• Regression analysis indicated that after controlling for visual acuity, the type of keratoplasty surgery did not significantly influence patient-reported VRQoL.

Conclusions:

• Vision-related quality of life outcomes are comparable between DMEK and DSAEK, and between DALK and PKP procedures.
• The type of keratoplasty technique does not appear to be an independent predictor of vision-related quality of life when postoperative visual acuity is considered.
• Postoperative visual acuity is a key determinant of patient-reported vision function following corneal transplantation.