Correlation of visual field with quality-of-life measures at diagnosis in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS)

Purpose: To examine the relationship between various clinical measures of v isual field and patient-reported measures of symptoms and health status in a large cohort of patients with glaucoma at the time of diagnosis. Patients and Methods: The 607 patients in the Collaborative Initial Glaucom a Treatment Study received standardized examinations of visual field at enr ollment. In addition, they completed a telephone-administered, health-relat ed quality-of-life questionnaire, which included the Visual Activities Ques tionnaire (VAQ) and a symptom and health problem checklist. Results: The Visual Activities Questionnaire total and subscale scores, par ticularly the peripheral vision subscale, correlated weakly but significant ly with global visual field scores. Symptoms attributed to glaucoma also co rrelated weakly but significantly to visual field scores. Correlations with other visual field measures, including only central and pericentral test l ocations in the scores, did not strengthen the association, and simulating binocular visual field scores produced only slightly stronger correlations. Conclusions: At diagnosis, most patients were relatively free of glaucoma-r elated impairments. Various visual field measures derived from clinical vis ual field test data were only modestly associated with patients' perception s of health-related quality of life. As the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study population is followed up longitudinally, it will be import ant to see whether these pertinent associations become stronger.