Effect of glaucoma on the quality of life of young patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) patients by using a utility-based assessment.

METHODS: QOL using time-tradeoff utility values was analyzed in 70 JOAG patients and compared with 108 adult-onset POAG patients. The relationships of utility values to parameters like age at diagnosis, visual acuity, mean deviation, number of medications and surgery, duration of the disease, level of education, and socioeconomic status were assessed.

RESULTS: The mean age at diagnosis of JOAG patients was 26 ± 9.8 years, whereas that of the adult onset POAG patients was 62 ± 11.2 years. Overall, there was a decrease in utility values with increasing age (r = -0.3; P < 0.001). The mean utility score among JOAG patients was (0.80 ± 0.18) significantly greater than among adult POAG patients (0.64 ± 0.28; P < 0.001). The differences in utility scores between JOAG and adult POAG patients were significant when adjusted for differences in better eye visual acuity, mean deviation, and the presence of systemic comorbidity among adults (P = 0.02). Among JOAG patients, those needing topical antiglaucoma medications and those with visual acuity worse than 6/12 in the better eye had lower utility values (P = 0.008 and P = 0.002, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Utility values among glaucoma patients in the juvenile age group are better than those of adult POAG patients. Decreasing vision in the better eye and having to use medication decrease the utility scores among young patients with glaucoma.