Vision Related Quality of Life in patients with Diabetic Macular Edema receiving Intravitreal Ranibizumab
Abstract
Introduction: Diabetic macular oedema is the most common cause of vision impairment in individuals with diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic macular oedema develops due to leakage of fluid from diseased microvasculature in the retina. Various treatment modalities exist for diabetic macular oedema, the present gold standard being the use of intravitreal anti-VEGF agents.
Aim: To assess the changes in vision-related quality of life among patients with diabetic macular oedema receiving intravitreal Ranibizumab.
Materials and Methods: A hospital-based observational longitudinal study was conducted.
Demographic details as well as details about the disease were collected. A validated National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (using the interviewer-administered format of the questionnaire) was administered by a single interviewer, on the day before the scheduled intravitreal Ranibizumab injection and again repeated over a period of 3 months at 2, 6 and 12 weeks from the date of the first injection.
The overall composite score and the various subscale scores for visual function were computed using a validated scoring method for each patient based on their response to the questionnaire.
Analysis of data was done using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences Version 24 software. Changes in the various parameters contributing to the vision-related quality of life were studied using analysis of variance for repeated measures. The level of significance was determined by the p-value. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The baseline composite score was found to be 38.2±9.1, at 2 weeks 41.0±10.3, at 6 weeks 48.2±14 and at 12 weeks 51.1±15.2. Data analysis showed the increase in the mean value of the baseline composite score to be statistically significant with a p value of 0.000.
All subdomains except general health also showed statistically significant improvement.
Conclusion: Patients diagnosed with diabetic macular oedema were shown to have an improvement in their vision-related quality of life following a single injection of intravitreal Ranibizumab. Various subdomains of vision which contribute to the vision-related quality of life except general health were also noted to show statistically significant improvement.
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