Quality of life in patients with age-related macular degeneration with monocular and binocular legal blindness.

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life for persons affected by age-related macular degeneration that results in monocular or binocular legal blindness.

Methods: An analytic transversal study using the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) was performed. Inclusion criteria were persons of both genders, aged more than 50 years old, absence of cataracts, diagnosis of age-related monocular degeneration in at least one eye and the absence of other macular diseases. The control group was paired by sex, age and no ocular disease.

Results: Group 1 (monocular legal blindness) was composed of 54 patients (72.22% females and 27.78% males, aged 51 to 87 years old, medium age 74.61 +/- 7.27 years); group 2 (binocular legal blindness ) was composed of 54 patients (46.30% females and 53.70% males aged 54 to 87 years old, medium age 75.61 +/- 6.34 years). The control group was composed of 40 patients (40% females and 60% males, aged 50 to 81 years old, medium age 65.65 +/- 7.56 years). The majority of the scores were statistically significantly higher in group 1 and the control group in relation to group 2 and higher in the control group when compared to group 1.

Conclusions: It was evident that the quality of life of persons with binocular blindness was more limited in relation to persons with monocular blindness. Both groups showed significant impairment in quality of life when compared to normal persons.