QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED SURVEY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY-OF-LIFE MEASURES IN OPHTHALMIC PRACTICE

Purpose To assess the awareness of the existence of quality of life (Q OL) instruments and their perceived relative merit in the management o f various eye conditions among ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was circulated among variou s grades of ophthalmologists attending a major UK ophthalmology confer ence. The respondents were asked to lank from a list in order of impor tance various tests of visual function in different ophthalmic conditi ons, Results Distance and near visual acuity were consistently rated h igh with mean ranks lower than 4.0. Contrast sensitivity and reading s peed were consistently rated as law in importance with mean ranks rang ing from 4 to 5.8. QOL instruments were deemed to be of some importanc e in the management of cataract and to a lesser extent in the manageme nt of age-relater! macular degeneration Only 2 respondents of 36 could name either a generic or a vision-specific QOL instrument, Conclusion UK ophthalmologists appear to be unfamiliar with QOL measures, despit e the fact that in health economics they have become the standard mean s of assessing the results of health care interventions and of priorit ising funding. Notwithstanding the evolution of a variety of tests for the assessment of visual function, ophthalmologists still rely primar ily on distance and, to a lesser extent, near visual acuity to plan th eir patient management. It is important to identify those tests of vis ual function that correlate best. with. the patient's ability to funct ion in the seeing world, and to develop appropriate QOL instruments fo r use in ophthalmic disorders.