Relationship between aberrometry and quality of life in patients with keratoconus

BackgroundCorneal deformations caused by keratoconus induce high optical aberrations (HOAs), which affect the quality of life even with an appropriate optical correction. Quality of life is mainly assessed using questionnaires, but their use in clinical practice is limited by the time required and their subjectivity. The aim of this study was to test the correlation between quality of vision assessed by aberrometry and quality of life questionnaire.MethodsVision-related quality of life was assessed using the NEI-VFQ 25 (National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire). Quality of vision was evaluated using an aberrometer (OQAS^®, HD analyzer, Visiometrics, Terrassa, Spain) based on two indices: the Objective Scattering Index (OSI) and the Tear Film Analysis (TFA).ResultsModerate negative correlations were observed between NEI-VFQ-25 total scores and OSI (r = -0.41; p = 0.0061) as well as TFA (r = -0.44; p = 0.0038) in keratoconus patients.ConclusionThese findings suggest an association between objective optical quality and vision-related quality of life in keratoconus. Aberrometry may be a rapid and clinically accessible complementary tool for assessing visual quality in routine practice. It could be used alongside patient-reported outcome measures. Further studies are needed to better define its role in clinical evaluation.