Association of Visual Acuity with Eye-Related Quality of Life and Functional Vision Across Childhood Eye Conditions

Social and Quality-of-Life Impact of Refractive Surgery in Children With Developmental Disorders and Spectacle Nonadherence

PURPOSE

Children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability often cannot tolerate wearing spectacles or contact lenses, which are the standard-of-care for treating ametropia.1,2 We aimed to assess the impact of refractive surgery on social functioning and vision-specific quality-of-life (VSQOL) in this population.

DESIGN

Prospective, before-and-after case series.

METHODS

Setting: Single, academic tertiary care center.

STUDY POPULATION

18 children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability, ametropia, and spectacle nonadherence were included in the analysis.

PROCEDURE

Participants underwent refractive surgery with either intraocular lens implantation or keratectomy. Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2) and Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ) at baseline and 1, 6, and 12 months postsurgery.3,4 Main outcome measures: Median change in SRS-2 T-scores and PedEyeQ scores 12 months after surgery, compared to baseline. The minimum clinically important difference was set at 5 points for the SRS-2 and 10 points for the PedEyeQ.

RESULTS

At 12 months after surgery, statistically significant improvements were observed in the SRS-2 domains of Social Awareness (8 points, 95% CI 2-13, P = .03) and Social Motivation (7 points, 95% CI 2-15, P = .03). Total SRS-2 T-score improved in a clinically important manner for 56% (10/18) of patients, but the median change was not statistically significant (5 points, 95% CI -1 to 9, P = .10). VSQOL showed statistically significant improvements in the domains of Functional Vision (40 points, 95% CI 7-73, P = .02) and Bothered by Eyes/Vision (23 points, 95% CI 3-45, P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

Refractive surgery led to clinically and statistically significant improvements in domains of social functioning and VSQOL at 12 months after surgery. A narrow majority of patients demonstrated a clinically important improvement in overall social functioning, but these changes were not statistically significant. The results suggest that refractive surgery in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, ametropia, and spectacle nonadherence may provide developmental and quality-of-life benefits. Larger, controlled studies are required to validate these findings.

Functional Vision of Pseudophakic Children Attending a Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic in Southwest Nigeria

PURPOSE

To determine the functional vision of pseudophakic children attending a child eye health tertiary facility in southwest Nigeria.

METHODS

A hospital-based descriptive study of pseudophakic children attending the Pediatric Ophthalmology outpatient clinic of a tertiary facility in southwest Nigeria was conducted between June and November 2021. Details of demography and clinical examination findings were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire. Information about functional vision was obtained using the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ). Data obtained from the PedEyeQ were entered into a Rasch-calibrated PedEyeQ Excel response data sheet. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22 (SPSS, Inc).

RESULTS

A total of 196 pseudophakic children were recruited. Their ages ranged from 2 to 16 years with a mean of 9.8 ± 3.4 years and there was a male-to-female ratio of 2.2:1. The median functional vision score of pseudophakic children across all age groups was 90.0. The functional vision scores were associated with the laterality of cataract, type of cataract, presence of comorbidities, visual acuity (distance and near) in the better eye, and number of surgeries.

CONCLUSIONS

The functional vision scores of pseudophakic children were low. Significant predictors of low functional vision scores include surgery for congenital cataract, low average family income, longer duration of time between surgery and recruitment into the study, and poorer best corrected visual acuity in the better eye. The routine assessment of functional vision should be considered an important aspect of pseudophakic children's eye care with a view toward optimizing psychological and social well-being. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2024;61(2):138-146.].

Evaluation of functional vision and eye-related quality of life in children with congenital ectopia lentis: a prospective cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to evaluate the effect of congenital ectopia lentis (CEL) on functional vision and eye-related quality of life (ER-QOL) in children and their families using the Paediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ).

DESIGN

A questionnaire survey administered via in-person interviews of patients with CEL and their parents.

PARTICIPANTS

51 children with CEL and 53 visually normal controls accompanied by 1 parent completed the survey questionnaires for the study from March 2022 to September 2022.

OUTCOME MEASURES

PedEyeQ domain scores. Functional vision and ER-QOL of children and their families were evaluated by calculating and comparing the Rasch domain scores of the PedEyeQ.

RESULTS

PedEyeQ domain scores were significantly worse with CEL compared with controls (p<0.01 for each), with the exception of the Proxy Social domain among children aged 0-4 years (p=0.283). Child PedEyeQ greatest differences were in the functional vision domain (5-11 years, -20 points (95% CI -27 to -12)) and frustration/worry domain (12-17 years, -41 (95% CI -37 to -6)). Proxy PedEyeQ greatest differences were in the functional vision domain (0-4 years, -34 (95% CI -45 to -22)) and frustration/worry domain (5-11 years, -27 (95% CI -39 to -14); 12-17 years, -37(95% CI (-48 to -26))). Parent PedEyeQ greatest difference was in the 'worry about child's eye condition' (-57 (95% CI (-63 to -51))).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, children with CEL had reduced functional vision and ER-QOL compared with controls. Parents of children with CEL also experience reduced quality of life.

Translating and evaluating the Chinese version of Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ-CN) for children

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the reliability and validity of Chinese version of the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ-CN) by testing ophthalmic patients in China.

METHODS

The PedEyeQ (standard English version) was translated by local researchers. Children were asked to complete the Child section, and their parents the Proxy and Parent sections. 160 children (32 normal controls, 77 with refractive error, 48 with strabismus/amblyopia, 3 with other eye conditions) aged 5-11 years old, and one parent of each child were recruited. Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation coefficient were calculated to examine the reliability and test-retest reliability; the score differences between controls and patients were compared to examine the validity.

RESULTS

The internal consistency (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.76) and test-retest reliability (r > 0.80) of PedEyeQ-CN were robust. Children with eye conditions had lower scores compared with children with normal vision (refractive error: 10 out of 13 domains, P ≤ 0.021; strabismus/amblyopia: all domains, P ≤ 0.015). Children with strabismus/amblyopia had lower scores compared with children with refractive error (two domains, P = 0.048, P = 0.001). Visual acuity was significantly correlated with functional vision (P = 0.005), but not significantly correlated with the eye-related quality of life (ER-QOL).

CONCLUSIONS

The PedEyeQ-CN is a valuable tool for assessing the functional vision and ER-QOL of Chinese children and help us increase our understanding about the impact of eye conditions on children and their families.

Amblyopia and the whole child

Amblyopia is a disorder of neurodevelopment that occurs when there is discordant binocular visual experience during the first years of life. While treatments are effective in improving visual acuity, there are significant individual differences in response to treatment that cannot be attributed solely to difference in adherence. In this considerable variability in response to treatment, we argue that treatment outcomes might be optimized by utilizing deep phenotyping of amblyopic deficits to guide alternative treatment choices. In addition, an understanding of the broader knock-on effects of amblyopia on developing visually-guided skills, self-perception, and quality of life will facilitate a whole person healthcare approach to amblyopia.

Comparison of Functional Vision and Eye-Related Quality of Life between Myopic Children Treated with Orthokeratology and Single-Vision Spectacles in Southern China

Objective

To compare eye-related quality of life between Chinese children wearing orthokeratology (OK) contact lenses and single-vision spectacles (SVS) using the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ) and to evaluate the impact of different myopia correction methods on children and their parents.

Methods

Children aged 12-17 years and their parents/legal guardians were recruited. The children's myopia ranged from -0.50 to -5.00 diopters (D), and their astigmatism was <1.50 D. They had all been wearing OK contact lenses or SVS for at least 12 months. The children completed the Child PedEyeQ. One of their parents (or a legal guardian) completed the Proxy PedEyeQ and the Parent PedEyeQ. Rasch-calibrated PedEyeQ scores were calculated for each domain and were converted to a scale from 0 to 100 for statistical analysis.

Results

A total of 50 children wearing OK contact lenses, 43 children wearing SVS, and their parents/legal guardians completed the questionnaires. The scores of all Child, Proxy, and Parent PedEyeQ domains in the OK contact lens group were higher than those in the SVS group (all P < 0.05). In the mild and moderate myopia subgroups, the Child, Proxy, and Parent PedEyeQ scores in the mild myopia OK contact lens subgroup were higher than those in the mild myopia SVS group (all P < 0.05) except functional vision and bothered by eyes/vision domains for the proxy PedEyeQ. Similarly, the Child, Proxy, and Parent PedEyeQ scores in the moderate myopia OK contact lens subgroup were higher than those in the moderate myopia SVS subgroup (all P < 0.05) except impact on parent and family domain for the parent PedEyeQ. In the subgroup analysis of glasses type, no significant score difference of any Child, Proxy, and Parent PedEyeQ domain was detected between mild and moderate myopia in either the OK contact lens group or the SVS group (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with children wearing SVS, children wearing OK contact lenses have better functional vision and eye-related quality of life. Moreover, OK contact lens has a better correction effect, higher acceptance rates, and less impact on parents and families than SVS.

The State of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Pediatric Patients with Inherited Retinal Disease

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are questionnaires that assess health outcomes meaningful to the patient. PROMs have multiple applications, such as supporting clinicians’ decision-making for patient care, understanding the impact of disease on patient functioning, and evaluating the efficacy of therapeutics. Though PROMs were developed for various eye conditions, no PROM was tailored to pediatric patients with inherited retinal disease (IRD). Hence, a literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and Embase to identify PROMs potentially relevant to this patient population. This review evaluated selected pediatric PROMs against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and found restricted use in the context of IRD. As there is a need for PROMs tailored to pediatric patients with IRD, we provide a perspective on applying the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research and FDA standards on the development of PROMs specific to IRD.

Inherited retinal diseases refer to a group of genetic conditions that affect the eye’s light-sensing cells and lead to vision loss. When a patient undergoes an eye assessment, the measures used are technical (e.g., visual acuity, visual field) and do not routinely address the patient’s experience. It is increasingly evident that the technical tools used do not really reflect how patients’ vision affects their daily lives. Questionnaires designed to assess how a condition impacts a daily activity are referred to as patient-reported outcome measures. The perspective of the impact of a condition on daily activities differs between adults and children. These tools are being created to evaluate health outcomes important to the patient on the basis of their condition and age. This is especially important when determining the value of therapies from the patient perspective. To date, no such questionnaire has been designed for pediatric patients with inherited retinal disease, an important cause of blindness. We explored the literature to evaluate existing pediatric vision tools and found that those could not be used to fill this gap. Given that we found a need to develop questionnaires tailored to pediatric patients with IRD, we also provide insight into how such a tool can be created for this population.

A Retrospective Study on the Eye-Related Quality of Life, Functional Vision, and Their Determinants Among Children Following Congenital and Developmental Cataracts Surgery and Its Impact on Their Families Using the PedEyeQ

Objectives

To evaluate the eye-related quality of life (ER-QOL), functional vision, and their determinants in children following congenital and developmental cataract surgery, as the impact on their families, using the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ).

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 107 children (aged 0–11 years) with congenital and developmental cataracts who had undergone surgery, as well as 59 visually healthy controls (aged 0–11 years). One parent for each child completed either the Proxy 0–4 PedEyeQ, the Proxy 5–11 PedEyeQ, or the Parent PedEyeQ, depending on their child's age. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were then conducted to compare the differences between groups and to analyze their determinants.

Results

PedEyeQ scores were found to be lower in postoperative children with congenital and developmental cataracts compared with the control group across all study domains. The PedEyeQ Proxy 0 to 4 years' greatest mean difference was 27 points worse in the Functional Vision domain (95% CI −34 to −19; p &lt; 0.001). We also found that the occurrence of nystagmus (p &lt; 0.005) and strabismus (p &lt; 0.005) were the major factors affecting participants' functional vision. The PedEyeQ Proxy 5 to 11 years' greatest mean difference was 23 points worse in this same domain (95% CI −30 to −15; p &lt; 0.001), with nystagmus (p &lt; 0.05) being the main determinant herein. Parent PedEyeQ 0 to 4 years' greatest difference was 46 points worse on the Worry about their Child's Eye Condition domain (95% CI −57 to −36; p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, parents of children with ophthalmologic abnormalities, including nystagmus (p &lt; 0.001) and strabismus (p &lt; 0.05), were significantly more worried about their children's eye condition. Parent PedEyeQ 5 to 11 years' greatest difference was also found to be 30 points worse on the Worry about their Child's Eye Condition domain (95% CI −43 to −17; p &lt; 0.005).

Conclusions

Children who have undergone congenital and developmental cataract surgery experience a lower quality of life and reduced functional vision. Their families are also significantly and adversely affected herein. Thus, more attention is needed on these groups, with more focused measures being administered to both children and their families.