Quality of Life of the Patients Followed-up for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma at the National Teaching Hospital of Cotonou-Benin Republic

Abstract

Purpose: Appreciate the impact of primary open angle glaucoma on the daily lives of patients. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted from June 1st to August 31st 2015, which concerned 52 patients followed-up for primary open angle glaucoma, in which quality of life (QOL) was assessed using a Glaucoma Quality of Life-17 (GlauQol-17)-questionnaire. This latter is composed of 17 items grouped in 7 dimensions. Results: The average age was of 61.79 years ± 12.22 years and the sex ratio of 0.86. Concerning the dimensions, the average score was 44.08% ± 24.83% for « anxiety », 41.33% ± 23.83% for « self-image », 67.75% ± 29% for « mood », 77.69% ± 23.94% for « daily activities », 58.50% ± 29.63% for « driving », 62.25% ± 26.12% for « constraints » and 62.83% ± 25% for the « self-care ». By order of decreasing frequency, the quality of life (QOL) was influenced by age, the clinical stage of the primary open angle glaucoma, the therapeutic class, the number of eye drops, the marital status, the profession and the visual acuity. Conclusion: The use of the Glaucoma Quality of Life-17 (GlauQol-17) questionnaire allows the ophthalmologist to evaluate a domain that traditionally escapes him in the doctor-patient relationship.