Using the Effects of Youngsters’ Eyesight on Quality of Life Questionnaire to Measure Visual Outcomes in Children With Uveitis

Abstract

Objective The Effects of Youngsters’ Eyesight on Quality of Life (EYE-Q) is a novel measure of vision-related quality of life (QOL) and function in children. We aim to determine the validity of EYE-Q in childhood uveitis. Methods We abstracted medical record data on arthritis and uveitis in a convenience sample of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and/or uveitis. In addition to the EYE-Q, parents and patients completed questionnaires on overall QOL (Pediatric QOL Inventory - PedsQL), and physical functioning (Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire - CHAQ). Results Among 57 children (8 JIA, 24 JIA and uveitis, 25 uveitis alone), 102 ocular examinations were performed within 1 month of completing questionnaires. Uveitis patients had bilateral disease (69%), anterior involvement (78%), synechiae (51%) and cataracts (49%). Children with vision loss in their better eye (visual acuity (VA) 20/50 or worse) had worse EYE-Q (p = 0.006), and PedsQL (p = 0.028), but not CHAQ scores. The EYE-Q moderately correlated with logMAR VA (rs = −0.43), PedsQL (rs = 0.43) and CHAQ (rs = −0.45), but was not correlated with anterior chamber cells or intraocular pressure. The PedsQL and CHAQ did not correlate with VA or cells. There were strong correlations between the parent and child EYE-Q (rs = 0.62). Cronbach's α for the child report was 0.91. The EYE-Q had strong test-retest reliability (rs=0.75). Conclusion The EYE-Q may be an important tool in the assessment of visual outcomes in childhood uveitis and an improvement over general measures in detecting changes in vision-related function.

The Psychological Impact of Dental Aesthetics in Patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Compared with Healthy Peers: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…It has been largely proven that the assessment of HRQoL in children with chronic disease is crucially important [42], and several generic or disease-specific tools are available in the literature to measure these outcomes [43,44]. In the dental field, the OHRQoL is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, cultural, physical, and social aspects, and its evaluation is fundamental for measuring the real benefit of a medical therapy [44].…”

Cross sectional, qualitative thematic analysis of patient perspectives of disease impact in juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis

“…There are four QoL items enquiring about feelings regarding the use of medications, missing school for appointments, and “laboratory draws”. One question enquires about the presence of common uveitis symptoms, and there is an item that enquires about visual aids [ 4 ]. An early version was felt to be more a measure of visual function than QoL, demonstrated by EYE-Q scores being weakly associated with HRQoL measured using the generic PedsQL tool, however the most recent version, which included the 4 QoL questions, shows moderate correlation with PedsQL [ 4 , 11 , 22 ].…”

“…One question enquires about the presence of common uveitis symptoms, and there is an item that enquires about visual aids [ 4 ]. An early version was felt to be more a measure of visual function than QoL, demonstrated by EYE-Q scores being weakly associated with HRQoL measured using the generic PedsQL tool, however the most recent version, which included the 4 QoL questions, shows moderate correlation with PedsQL [ 4 , 11 , 22 ]. The topics include two important issues identified in Domain 1, “impact of treatment”, one from Domain 2, “complications” and one from Domain 4 “impact outside school”.…”

“…Understandably, the HRQoL of children with visual impairment can be significantly reduced [ 3 , 4 , 6 ]. In recent years, a number of vision- and disease-specific HRQoL PROMs for children have been developed, beginning to populate a landscape that previously was largely void of such tools, although it is still felt that there is a lack of instruments to measure vision-related function and QoL in children overall [ 3 , 4 , 6 – 8 , 11 , 12 ]. Amongst these tools is the Effects of Youngsters’ Eyesight on Quality of Life Questionnaire (EYE-Q), which has been validated as a uveitis-specific measure, both for uveitis alone, and uveitis associated with chronic illness, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) [ 4 ].…”

Comparison of Rating Scales in the Development of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Children with Eye Disorders

“…Some authors utilize a combination of different types of scales in a single questionnaire (Angeles-Han et al, 2015, Felius et al, 2004, Hrisos et al, 2004). In the 2013 review by Khadka et al, (Khadka et al, 2013) difficulty and frequency scales were again the most frequently utilized, although severity, agreement, and bothered scales were also used.…”