Quality of life in medically & surgically treated patients with glaucoma

Background & objectives Quality of life (QoL) is a highly underrated yet an extremely crucial measure of the functional outcomes of any therapy. Reduction of intraocular pressure solely cannot determine the success of antiglaucoma therapy. This study was conducted to compare the QoL in patients with moderate to severe glaucoma on medical and surgical therapy, using glaucoma quality of life -15 (GQL-15) questionnaire. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted on 54 eyes of 46 individuals from October 2022 to December 2023. Normative values of the GQL-15 scores were obtained from a control group comprising 30 eyes of 15 age and sex-matched healthy individuals (non-glaucoma). The questionnaire was filled pre-operatively when participants were on medical management and at six months follow up after trabeculectomy i.e., on surgical management. GQL-15 scores were then compared among three groups in the study: controls, medical management and surgical management. Results The study showed poorer quality of life in individuals with glaucoma than in the control group. The GQL-15 scores significantly improved after trabeculectomy (32.1±10.3) compared to the medical management group (36.3±11), (P<0.001). A significant difference was observed for all questionnaire domains, including central and near vision, peripheral vision, dark adaptation and glare, and outdoor mobility (P<0.001) for all. Scores varied by glaucoma severity, with severe cases showing the poorest QoL. Interpretations & conclusions Surgical therapy may improve QoL in patients with moderate to severe glaucoma, suggesting a potential role for trabeculectomy over medical management.