Measuring Quality of Life of Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Bulgarian Ophthalmic Clinic

OBJECTIVES: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness among people over 65 in developed countries. AMD is a progressive, vision-impairing disease that significantly impairs patients' quality of life (QoL), leading to inability to perform daily duties.

METHODS: For the period March-August 2021 all patients diagnosed with AMD, who underwent an intravitreal injection procedure with VEGF-inhibitors in a Bulgarian ophthalmic clinic were interviewed. They were assisted in completing two standardized questionnaires assessing QoL: EQ-5D-5L with a visual scale (VAS), and impact of visual impairment (IVI), recommended by ICHOM. Patient-level personal data is completely anonymized. Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS Statistics Version 23 statistical software were used for data analysis.

RESULTS: 65 participants were interviewed. 60 of them have fully completed the questionnaires. The mean EQ-5D score for the entire patient group was 0.862, the mean VAS score - 0.862, and the mean IVI score - 2.4. Results show that QoL related to health, measured by EQ-5D-5L/VAS and IVI questionnaires, deteriorates with age. A comparison of EQ-5D data with population norms in Bulgaria (i.e. for a representative sample of the general population) shows that patients with impaired vision have a reduced QoL

CONCLUSIONS: The QoL in patients with AMD deteriorates compared to population norms, which demonstrates the seriousness of the disease. The QoL associated with health in patients with AMD deteriorates with age. Careful monitoring of their condition and periodic assessment of their QoL is needed in order to take into account the effect of the treatment.