Quality of Life Measurement in Patients with Graves’ Ophthalmopathy

The measurement of the effects of Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) and its treatments on the quality of life of these patients is a new and challenging research area. In this chapter an introduction is given to the methodology of (health-related) quality of life measurement in general and the application of these methods in GO research specifically. Special attention is given to the recently developed GO-specific quality of life questionnaire, the GO-QOL. This questionnaire was specifically developed to be used as an outcome measure for GO research. The development, reliability, validity and interpretation of the GO-QOL are discussed. In the second part of this chapter a state of the art literature review is presented on the use of patient’s perceptions in the description of the impact of GO on the patients’ lives and in the evaluations of treatments for GO.