Trabeculectomy helps stabilize visual function in glaucoma patients

Vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) in patients with glaucoma who underwent trabeculectomy remains unchanged before and after the procedure, which indicates the stabilizing effect of trabeculectomy on both objective and subjective visual function, according to a study.

The study included 58 patients who received trabeculectomy. All of them completed the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25) prior to and 12 months after the procedure.

Researchers measured functional (visual acuity and visual fields) and structural (ganglion cell layer volume) parameters. The association of these parameters with VR-QoL was evaluated using multiple linear regression of VFQ-25 subscale scores. Intraocular pressure and the number of glaucoma medications were also assessed.

The VFQ-25 composite score showed no significant difference before trabeculectomy and 12 months postprocedure (74.9 vs 74.0; p=0.512). However, looking at the VFQ-25 subscales postprocedure, a significant increase was noted in the mental health subscale (65.6 vs 71.4; p=0.017) and substantial reductions were seen in the subscales of general health (68.5 vs 62.5; p=0.009) and role difficulties (78.9 vs 53.7; p<0.001).

VFQ-25 composite score showed no association with any functional or structural parameters. This finding, according to the researchers, underscores that VR-QoL has a multifaceted nature and highlights the limitations of depending solely on objective clinical metrics to evaluate patients’ subjective experiences.

As such, the researchers recommended using both objective and subjective measures of VR-QoL to better understand the challenges patients face due to glaucoma and trabeculectomy.