Strbismus

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Am J Ophthalmol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2008 November 1.

Published in final edited form as: Am J Ophthalmol. 2007 November ; 144(5): 643–647.

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The effects of strabismus on quality of life in adults

Sarah R. Hatt, David A. Leske, Penny A. Kirgis, Elizabeth A. Bradley, and Jonathan M. Holmes From Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN

Abstract

Purpose: As a first step in the development of a health related quality of life instrument, we conducted in-depth interviews to identify the specific concerns of adults with strabismus. Design: Prospective cross-sectional study Methods: Thirty adults with strabismus, 17 with diplopia and 13 without were recruited. Individual interviews, using 11 open-ended questions, were audiotaped, transcribed and transcripts reviewed independently by 3 investigators. Phrases regarding how strabismus affected everyday life were grouped into topic areas and the frequency of each topic analyzed for subjects with and without diplopia. Results: A total of 1508 phrases were extracted: 207 (14%) of 1508 were excluded as they did not pertain to health related quality of life (HRQOL). From the remaining 1301 phrases, 48 topic areas were apparent. For patients with diplopia, the most frequently occurring topics were Non-specific Negative Feeling (15/17; 88%) e.g. ‘really hard’; General Disability (15/17;88%) e.g. ‘affects everything’ and Driving (14/17; 82%). In those without diplopia, the most frequently mentioned topics were Appearance to others (12/13; 92%) e.g. ‘people notice my eyes’ followed by problems with Eye Contact (10/13; 77%) and Interpersonal Relationships (10/13; 77%). Of the topics that were common to both groups (n=42), 2 of the most frequent were Driving and Non-specific Negative Feeling. Conclusions: Multiple individual interviews revealed many topics which...