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The impact of the severity of vision loss on vision-specific functioning in a German outpatient population — an observational study

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Abstract

Background

To validate the German–translated VF-14, a vision-specific scale, and determine the relationship between the severity of vision impairment, ocular conditions, and visual functioning.

Methods

This was a clinic-based, cross-sectional study with 184 patients with low vision and 90 normal-sighted controls recruited from a German eye hospital. Participants underwent a clinical examination and completed the German VF-14 scale. The validity of the VF-14 scale was assessed using Rasch analysis. The main outcome measure was the visual functioning overall score.

Results

The participants’ mean ± SD [standard deviation] age was 59.4 ± 21.8 years ,and there were more female (58.4%) than male participants. The main cause of vision loss was age-related macular degeneration [AMD] (n = 54, 19.7%). Rasch analysis substantiated the German VF-14 to be a valid scale to assess visual functioning in the sample. Visual functioning consistently declined with worsening vision. In adjusted-multivariate analysis models, compared to control participants, those with mild, or moderate/severe vision impairment recorded significantly poorer visual functioning scores (p < 0.05). The independent association was clinically significant for those with moderate/severe vision impairment. The main ocular conditions were also found to be independently associated with worse visual functioning, with clinical significance found for AMD, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal diseases.

Conclusions

Using a psychometrically valid German-translated VF-14, even mild vision impairment was independently associated with poor visual functioning. These findings reinforce the importance of early preventative and rehabilitative efforts to prevent longitudinal deterioration in vision loss.

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Acknowledgments

CERA receives Operational Infrastructure Support from the Victorian Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Robert P. Finger, Michael Petrak & Frank G. Holz

  2. Centre for Eye Research Australia, Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, University of Melbourne, Level 1, 32 Gisborne St, East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002, Australia

    Robert P. Finger, Eva Fenwick, Peggy Pei-Chia Chiang, Manjula Marella & Ecosse L. Lamoureux

  3. Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore

    Ecosse L. Lamoureux

Authors
  1. Robert P. Finger
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  2. Eva Fenwick
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  3. Peggy Pei-Chia Chiang
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  4. Michael Petrak
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  7. Ecosse L. Lamoureux
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Correspondence to Robert P. Finger.

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No funding has been received to conduct this research. No authors have any conflicts of interest. All authors have full control of all primary data and they agree to allow Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology to review their data if requested.

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Finger, R.P., Fenwick, E., Chiang, P.PC. et al. The impact of the severity of vision loss on vision-specific functioning in a German outpatient population — an observational study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 249, 1245–1253 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1646-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1646-4

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