Is metamorphopsia more important than visual acuity in vitreomacular interface disorders? A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Vision Science

Background:

• Vitreomacular interface disorders negatively affect vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL).
• Reduced visual acuity and metamorphopsia are primary causes of decreased VR-QoL.
• Quantitative measurement of metamorphopsia is less common than visual acuity assessment in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping literature review comparing the impact of metamorphopsia versus visual acuity on VR-QoL.
• To determine which visual parameter, metamorphopsia or visual acuity, is a greater predictor of VR-QoL.

Main Methods:

• Scoping literature review adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Searched Medline and Embase databases for English-language studies.
• Included 10 publications after excluding 55 studies that did not meet inclusion criteria.

Main Results:

• Five out of eight studies found a significant association between preoperative metamorphopsia and VR-QoL.
• Five out of six studies reported a significant correlation between postoperative metamorphopsia and VR-QoL.
• All five studies investigating the link between metamorphopsia reduction and VR-QoL improvement found a significant association, contrasting with limited findings for visual acuity.

Conclusions:

• Metamorphopsia may be a stronger predictor of preoperative and postoperative VR-QoL than visual acuity in vitreomacular interface disorders.
• Further research is needed to confirm the predictive value of metamorphopsia.
• Metamorphopsia measurement should be incorporated into the assessment of patients with vitreomacular interface disorders.