Vision-related quality of life following glaucoma filtration surgery

Background: To evaluate vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) following glaucoma filtration surgery. Methods: A total of 103 glaucoma patients scheduled to undergo glaucoma filtration surgery. Prior to and at three months after glaucoma filtration surgery, trabeculectomy or EX-PRESS, all patients completed the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25). A total of 48 patients underwent combined cataract and filtration surgery. The clinical data collected pre-and postoperatively included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Results: The IOP decreased significantly from 19.0 +/- 8.1 mmHg to 9.7 +/- 3.9 mmHg (P < 0.001). Preoperative VFQ-25 composite score (65.8 +/- 15.6) was similar to the postoperative score (67.8 +/- 16.6). A significantly improved VFQ-25 composite score (pre: 63.2 +/- 17.1, post: 67.7 +/- 17.8; P = 0.001) was observed in the patients who underwent combined cataract and filtration surgery. There was a significant association between the BCVA changes in the operated eye and the changes in the VFQ-25 composite score (r = -0.315, P = 0.003). Conclusions: Although glaucoma filtration surgery by itself did not decrease the VR-QOL in glaucoma patients, there was significant improvement in the VR-QOL after the patients underwent combined cataract and glaucoma filtration surgery.