Vision beyond sight – Low-vision services for quality of life and functional independence: A nonrandomized clinical trial

Abstract

Low vision affects above 54 million people in India. Despite this heavy burden, low-vision services are underutilized in India. Our study was designed to assess the impact of low-vision services in improving quality of life and performing activities of daily living independently among patients having low vision. A nonrandomized clinical trial was used to conduct the study. Adults older than 18 years with low vision were recruited. Total 60 participants were enrolled (30 control group, 30 experimental group). Ethical permission was taken from Institute Ethics Committee (NK/7099/MSc/19), and the trial was registered in CTRI (CTRI/2021/07/034776). Written informed consent was taken from participants. Preassessment and postassessment were completed as per interview schedule. Outcome measures included changes in quality of life as per IND-VFQ 33 and activities of daily living as per Lawton Brody Instrumental ADL Scale. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 23. The experimental group showed significant improvement in vision-related quality of life, particularly in the domains of general functioning, psychosocial impact, and visual symptoms (p < .01). They also showed increased independence in ADL, especially in performing tasks such as housekeeping, laundry, managing finances, and using transport (p < .001) after the intervention. Overall, improvement in quality of life (p < .05) and activities of daily living (p < .05) was observed in experimental group as compared to control group. The study demonstrated the potential of the low-vision services in improving quality of life and performing ADL independently among patients with low vision.

Keywords

Assistive devices low vision low vision aids low vision rehabilitation low vision services visual impairment

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