Vision-related quality of life in low-vision patients who underwent epiretinal membrane surgery

Aims: To evaluate the vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) in patients with low vision, who underwent epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery with pars plana vitrectomy. Methods: Twenty subjects with unilateral ERM and 20 healthy subjects as CG were included in the study. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) was used. In ERM cases, the two-step 23 G vitrectomy was performed with a similar technique by the same experienced vitreoretinal surgeon. The relationship between the composite score and visual acuity was evaluated. Reliability analysis was performed. Flexible discriminant analysis was performed to group individuals according to the NEI VFQ-25 results. Results: The preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in ERM group was 1.04±0.41. Postoperative visual improvement reached statistical significance (p<0.001) and postoperative 6th month BCVA was 0.61±0.41. The composite score was significantly lower in patients with ERM than in CG (p=0.017). The subscale scores were significantly lower in the patients with ERM than in the CG in general vision, ocular pain, near activities and distance activities (p<0.001, p=0.005, p<0.001, p=0.003, respectively). There was a statistically significant correlation between the composite score and visual acuity (R2=0.19, p=0.004). The scale has high reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.8743). The accuracy of the flexible discriminant function was found to be 100%. Conclusion: The NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire may help to define the effects of ERM surgery since visual acuity does not fully reflect VR-QOL. Impaired binocular vision may be associated with the deterioration of VR-QOL in patients with ERM in the postoperative period.