Comparison of Vision-related Quality of Life Between Normal Tension Glaucoma and Primary Open-angle Glaucoma

Although there was little difference in overall vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) between patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) after controlling for confounding factors, POAG tended to have poorer VRQOL, especially in social functioning and dependency, than NTG.

The fundamental goal of treatment of patients with glaucoma is to preserve their VRQOL. The aim of this study was to compare VRQOL between patients with NTG and those with POAG.

The self-reported National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) survey was performed, including clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic data from 506 Korean patients with NTG and 287 with POAG. The mean deviation of the integrated binocular visual field was calculated using the best location method. The NEI VFQ-25 results were evaluated by Rasch analysis to control item difficulty and variation in individual response ability. Propensity score matching was used to control for various confounding factors affecting VRQOL.

Although patients with POAG tended to have worse VRQOL than those with NTG, there was no statistically significant between-group difference in ocular pain, near and distance activities, mental health, role difficulties, ability to drive, and the overall composite score. However, the social functioning (P=0.016) and dependency (P=0.026) were significantly poorer in POAG patients.

Overall VRQOL in patients with NTG and POAG was found to be similar. However, social functioning and dependency were significantly worse in those with POAG. These findings are relevant to supporting glaucoma patients.