Structure–function Relationship and Vision-related Quality of Life in Glaucoma Secondary to Anterior Uveitis: Comparison with Open Angle Glaucoma

Abstract

Uveitis is the most common inflammatory ocular disorder and frequently complicated by glaucoma, which is an important cause of irreversible sight loss. Inflammatory nature of the disease and widely fluctuating of intraocular pressure may affect visual function in patients with uveitis complicated by glaucoma. Therefore, we investigated the structure − function relationship and vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) in 69 patients with uveitic glaucoma (UG), compared with 138 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) using 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25). In a generalized linear model including age and corresponding structural metrics, the UG eyes had significantly lower mean deviation (MD) of the whole visual field (VF) and superior VF than the OAG eyes (p = 0.012 and 0.040). Patients with UG showed significantly lower composite score and 5 subscales of the VFQ-25, compared with those with OAG (p < 0.05, for all). In the OAG group, the composite score showed strongest associations with the whole binocular integrated VF (β = 1.156, p < 0.001), whereas in the UG group, a significant association was seen only with the inferior VF of the affected eye (β = 0.747, p = 0.005). In conclusion, eyes with UG exhibited a distinctive structure–function relationship and worse VR-QoL that differentiated them from OAG eyes.