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Psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25)

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to translate, adapt and validate the Croatian version of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) in participants with visual impairment. This study also aims at evaluating the relationship between visual impairment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods

The prospective observational study was conducted at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Department of Ophthalmology. The sample consisted of 175 patients with four chronic ocular diseases: cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. The translation of the NEI VFQ-25 to Croatian was conducted following the standardised procedure. All participants underwent an ophthalmological examination and completed the NEI VFQ-25 and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Questionnaire (SF-36). In order to assess the psychometric properties of the NEI VFQ-25, we calculated Cronbach’s α coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), convergent and discriminant validity, as well as criterion and concurrent validity.

Results

Results show high internal consistency (Cronbach α range 0.739–0.932) and high test–retest reliability (ICC 0.876–0.975) for all subscales. None of the items had failed either convergent or discriminant validity. Moderate to high Spearman’s rho coefficients of correlations were found between best corrected visual acuity and eight subscales in the NEI VFQ-25 (0.430 < ρ < 0.631). Moderate correlations were found between comparable domains in the NEI VFQ-25 and in the SF-36 questionnaire (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The Croatian version of the NEI VFQ-25 has very good psychometric properties and can be a useful instrument for assessing vision-related quality of life in Croatian population with chronic ophthalmic diseases.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4624688.

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Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Center “Zagreb”, Kišpatićeva 12, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Dina Lešin Gaćina, Sonja Jandroković, Ivan Škegro, Iva Bešlić & Marija Bukvić

  2. Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia

    Bernarda Škegro

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  1. Dina Lešin Gaćina
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Contributions

DLG was involved in the conceptualization; BŠ was involved in the methodology; BŠ, IB, MB and DLG contributed to the formal analysis and investigation; DLG was involved in the writing—original draft preparation; SJ, IŠ and BŠ were involved in the writing—review and editing; DLG acquired the funding; DLG and BŠ contributed to the resources; SJ contributed to the supervision.

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Correspondence to Dina Lešin Gaćina.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University Clinical Centre Zagreb (class 8.1–18/37–2, reference number 02/21 AG).

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Lešin Gaćina, D., Škegro, B., Jandroković, S. et al. Psychometric properties of the Croatian version of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Int Ophthalmol 41, 4025–4036 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-01975-y

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