The impact of visual impairment on health-related quality of life in rural Africa.

Purpose: To assess the impact of visual impairment (VI) on utility values in Sub-Saharan Africa and compare findings with other studies from low- and high-income countries.

Methods: Patients with normal vision and various levels of VI were recruited from a secondary eye clinic in rural Kenya and interviewed using time trade-off (TTO). VI was classified using the World Health Organization definition of (normal vision, visual acuity ≥20/60, VI 20/80-20/200, severe VI 20/240-20/400, and blindness <20/400).