Research Tool

Questionnaires for Assessing the Effect of Visual Impairment on Quality of Life and Function in Children

Application

A standardized series of questions for the assessment of vision related quality of life and visual function in children and adolescents.

Key Benefits

Provides age-appropriate questions for children from ages 8-18 as an improvement to using currently available assessments geared toward adults.
Allows the subjective assessment of the impact of visual impairment.
Questions specific to children with uveitis are in development.

Market Summary

Visual impairment in children is a significant problem in the U.S. Approximately 7% of children have a diagnosed vision problem and several million children in the U.S. experience visual impairment or blindness. It can be difficult to evaluate the effect of visual impairments on a child's quality of life and function. A comprehensive evaluation using both clinical ocular exams and subjective questionnaires can improve our understanding of the impact of eye disease. The currently available quality of life tests for eyesight are targeted at adults and ask questions that may not be applicable to children.

Technical Summary

The technology described is a compilation of questions that quantify the effect of visual impairment on the quality of life and function of children. The data from this questionnaire represent the degree to which vision impacts a child's ability to complete activities of daily living. Unlike other vision instruments targeted at adults, these questions are split into a series of questionnaires that ask age-appropriate questions for the assessment of children from ages 8-18. There is also a parent proxy form available for parents/guardians to complete. This survey is better able to assess the impact of vision impairment on the quality of life and function of children than clinical ophthalmologic examinations alone or adult-targeted questionnaires.