Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study compares the quality of life (QoL) assessment using the glaucoma QoL (GQL-15), where patients rate their actual status for each of the four domains of visual disability, with that when the relative importance of each domain is reported by the patient. METHODOLOGY: This observational, cross-sectional pilot study, conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India, enrolled 37 patients with moderate to severe glaucoma. Each patient was administered the GQL-15 questionnaire. After each question was answered, the patient was asked to indicate the relative weighting of each domain, and the answer was graded from 1 to 5. The overall QoL score was obtained by multiplying each level of functioning with each domain weight and then adding these products. The individualized measures so obtained, divided by 5, were considered as a real-world measure of personalized QoL of the patient. Personalized QoL was compared to the standard GQL-15 score. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 63.86 ± 11.08 years, with male predominance (67.57%). Patients reported the highest visual impairment with walking on uneven ground (score = 2.70 ± 1.31), seeing at night (score = 2.54 ± 1.44), and reading newspapers (score = 2.51 ± 1.36). Patients gave the highest weightage to recognizing faces (score = 3.97 ± 0.64), and finding dropped objects (score = 3.73 ± 0.77). Highest score was bagged by seeing at night (8.35 ± 5.590 and adjusting to dim lights (8.35 ± 6.05, respectively), on analysis of the weighted GQL scores. CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate to severe glaucoma prioritize recognizing faces and finding dropped objects. The patients who reported greater difficulty in lighting-related tasks, as well as peripheral and distance vision, also gave it more importance. Individualizing QoL measures is necessary for a better understanding of the patients' perception of their visual disability. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Bhartiya S, Ichhpujani P, Kapoor S, et al. Weighted Quality of Life in Glaucoma Patients with Advanced Disease. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2025;19(2):85-89.