Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether patients with glaucoma have different functional status and well-being than patients without glaucoma.
Design: Prospective case-control study.
Participants: The study population was recruited from 2 university-based glaucoma clinical practices and a university-based general ophthalmology clinic and consisted of 121 patients with open-angle glaucoma, 42 with diagnosis of glaucoma suspect, and 135 with no chronic ocular conditions except cataract.
Intervention: Administration of Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form survey (SF-36) was performed. Demographic information, medical history, and responses to the SF-36 questionnaire were elicited by an interviewer. Medical record review was performed to obtain clinical examination data and to substantiate the medical and demographic data obtained by the interviewer.
Main outcome measures: The SF-36 scores by diagnostic group, demographic characteristics, and medical history were examined. Secondary outcome measures were SF-36 scores in patients with glaucoma by visual field impairment and glaucoma medication use.
Results: Patients with glaucoma consistently had lower scores, control subjects had higher scores, and glaucoma suspects had scores intermediate between the two groups. After adjusting for the possible influence of all the other covariate factors, glaucoma was found to be a strong predictor of lower SF-36 scores.
Conclusion: Patients with glaucoma have lower scores, indicating less-functional status, than patients without glaucoma as tested by the SF-36 survey questionnaire.