THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PERSONS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Introduction: Visual impairment constitutes interference in all areas of life. As it has been shown, the quality of life impact of these impaired persons are not unambiguous. The survey answers the question: "What is the quality of life of persons with visual impairment?" Methodology: Using a questionnaire, the quality of life of persons with visual impairment was assessed, and its level was compared to a group of persons without visual impairment. The standardized WHO Quality of life - BREF questionnaire was used. The data collection was done using the questionnaire. It was conducted combining both verbal and written form due to respondents' impairment. The survey was carried out from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2013. Ninety questionnaires were distributed. The return was 67 questionnaires - that represents 81% of which could be used for evaluation. The control group consisted of 70 respondents who have no sensory or physical impairments. Non parametric Mann Whitney test was used for statistical comparisons. Results: The results of the survey has shown that the quality of life of persons with visual impairment is lower in all domains - physical health (p 0,000), experience (p 0,000), social relationships (p 0,000) and environment (p 0,000) in comparison of both population standard and control group of persons without visual impairment. Conclusion: The survey has proved a reduced quality of life of persons with visual impairments in all domains surveyed. The progress which was made in integration of visually impaired persons in the Czech Republic during the last decade is still not quite enough. There are still social gaps and reserves in this field which can be seen as a challenge to continuously improving the quality of life of visually impaired persons.