Ophthalmic and Glaucoma Treatment Characteristics Associated With Changes in Health-related Quality of Life Before and After Newly Diagnosed Primary Open-angle Glaucoma in Nurses' Health Study Participants

Purpose: To identify attributes related to glaucoma diagnosis or early glaucoma treatment patterns that are associated with changes in health-related quality of life among those with newly diagnosed primary open-angle glaucoma. Methods: Among Nurses' Health Study participants with incident medical record-confirmed primary open-angle glaucoma diagnosed in 1992 to 2000, we included 317 women who completed the Short Form-36 Health Survey prediagnosis and postdiagnosis. The 2 primary outcomes were 4-year changes (1992 to 1996 or 1996 to 2000) in the physical and mental component summary scores. Multiple regression models were used to estimate differences in score changes by early treatment pattern history and characteristics as of diagnosis (ie, number of eyes affected, history of cataract, macular degeneration, cup-to-disc ratio, intraocular pressure, visual field loss type). Results: In multivariable models, no ophthalmologic characteristics were associated with physical component score change. However, compared with treatment with eye drops or pills only, laser trabeculoplasty treatment (concomitant with history of treatment with eye drops or pills in 84%) was associated with a worse mental component score change over 4 years (-2.5 units; 95% confidence interval: -4.6, -0.3); this association was stronger with a family history of glaucoma (P-interaction= 0.04) or with bilateral disease (P-interaction= 0.001). Conclusions: Among patients with incident glaucoma, no major factors were associated with change in physical well being. However, compared with medical treatment only, a history of laser trabeculoplasty, which was commonly accompanied with a history of medical treatment and likely represented the need for a second line of treatment, was associated with a worse decline in mental well being.