This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on Web of Science (2)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Aging/ Geriatrics  • Macular Degeneration  • Quality of Life  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

José-Alain Sahel, MD; Francesco Bandello, MD; Albert Augustin, MD; Frédérique Maurel, MS; Cristina Negrini, MSC; Gilles H. Berdeaux, MD; for the MICMAC Study Group

Arch Ophthalmol. 2007;125(7):945-951.

Objective  To assess the impact of best-eye and worst-eye visual acuity (BEVA and WEVA, respectively) on health-related quality of life and utility in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

Design  This cross-sectional, prospective, observational, multicenter study was performed in France, Germany, and Italy. Patients were stratified into 4 severity groups (BEVA, 20/40; WEVA, 20/200). Patients completed the National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire, the Macular Disease Quality of Life Scale, and the Health Utility Index 3. Analysis of variance was used to adjust for age, sex, and country.

Results  Patients (N = 360) were mainly female (59.6%), with a mean age of 77 years and mean time since age-related macular degeneration diagnosis of 2.3 years. Health Utility Index 3 scores decreased with VA severity from 0.62 to 0.39. The National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire global score decreased with VA severity from 67.0 to 40.7 and was related to the BEVA (P < .001) and WEVA (P = .03). Corresponding changes were observed on the general vision, distance vision, driving, and mental health dimensions. The average weighted impact score on the Macular Disease Quality of Life varied from –4.6 to –2.6, decreasing with VA severity. Both eyes contributed to the average weighted impact score.

Conclusion  The BEVA and WEVAs influenced vision-related quality of life independently, as measured by the National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire and Macular Disease Quality of Life Scale.

Author Affiliations: Department IV, Hôpital des XV-XX (Dr Sahel) and Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (Dr Berdeaux), Paris, France; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy (Dr Bandello); Augenklinik, Karlsruhe, Germany (Dr Augustin); Aremis Consultants, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France (Ms Maurel); PBE Consulting, Verona, Italy (Ms Negrini); and Alcon France, Rueil-Malmaison, France (Dr Berdeaux).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?