Health-related quality of life measures (HRQoL) in patients with amblyopia and strabismus: a systematic review

Abstract

Background/aims Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are used in healthcare to help inform clinical decision-making and policy-making decisions. A number of disease-specific or condition-specific measures have been developed and applied in ophthalmology; however, their use in the specific fields of amblyopia and strabismus are not as established. The purpose of this study is to identify and discuss specific HRQoL instruments that may be used in the investigation and management of patients with amblyopia and/or strabismus. Methods A systematic literature review was undertaken in November 2009. The electronic databases of AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine: 1985 to November 2009), the British Nursing Index and Archive (1985 to October 2009), Ovid Medline In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations and Ovid Medline (1950 to present) and PsycINFO (1806 to November Week 1 2009) were searched. No language restrictions were applied to the search. Results Four instruments were identified: the Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ), the Amblyopia Treatment Index (ATI), the Adult Strabismus Questionnaire (AS-20) and the Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ). Conclusion The use of HRQoL measures in patients with amblyopia and/or strabismus is a developing area. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of issues such as diplopia and poor cosmesis upon patient groups, and to determine the influence of ethnicity and parental reporting in these patients.

The impact of strabismus on quality of life in adults with and without diplopia: a systematic review

“…Therefore, measurement of QoL does not need to be confined to research, but should be encouraged in everyday practice to allow for the appropriate and timely discussion about the impact of the condition on patients and also for the prescription of treatment. 8 …”

“…Strabismus-specific QoL questionnaires cover more comprehensively the range of problems faced by individuals with the condition. Carlton et al 8 identified four strabismus-and amblyopia-specific QoL questionnaires: the amblyopia and strabismus questionnaire 46 (A&SQ), the amblyopia treatment index, 11 the adult strabismus questionnaire [19][20], and the intermittent exotropia questionnaire. 22 The two strabismusspecific questionnaires, the A&SQ and AS-20, have both been shown to have better discriminatory ability when compared with the SF-12 and VFQ-25 18,46 for those with strabismus.…”

Development of a Persian Version of the Adult Strabismus Questionnaire and Evaluating the Effect of Strabismus Surgery on Health-Related Quality of Life

“…The other questionnaires, such as the Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ), the Amblyopia Treatment Index (ATI), and the Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ), can be the subject of future studies about HRQOL in the Iranian patients. 17 In conclusion, to our knowledge, our study was the first study that developed a Persian version, one of the few studies that developed non-English versions for AS-20, and one of the few studies that evaluated postsurgical HRQOL in the strabismus cases. Our version had good reliability and validity and might be appropriate for evaluating HRQOL in Iranian patients with strabismus.…”

The Prevalence of Strabismus in 7-Year-Old Schoolchildren in Iran

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Moreover, it has been shown that strabismus negatively affects quality of life in adulthood and surgical intervention improves the quality of life. 9,10 The prevalence of strabismus ranges from less than 0.5% to about 5% in different communities and countries. 6,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] However, the prevalence is substantially higher in some diseases, such as Down or Marfan syndrome.…”