[Efficacy of treatments on vision-related quality of life in patients with diabetic retinopathy].

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in the vision-related quality of life in patients with diabetic retinopathy with the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Patients were categorized into three groups : without treatment, receiving pan-retinal photocoagulation, and those who had vitrectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Altogether 327 patients (131 without treatment, [observation group]; 60 receiving pan-retinal photocoagulation, [photocoagulation group]; and 136 patients who had vitrectomy, [vitrectomy group]). The VFQ-25 was recorded at the time of entry and 1 year later. The VFQ-25 score was compared between the time of entry and 1 year later for each group and among the three groups at both the time of entry and 1 year later. RESULTS: VFQ-25 scores (mean +/- standard deviations) at the time of entry and 1 year later were 91.3 +/- 7.8 and 92.2 +/- 7.8 in the observation group, 80.7 +/- 15.7 and 77.6 +/-19.1 in the photocoagulation group, and 67.4 +/-17.3 and 75.4 +/- 17.5 in the vitrectomy group. VFQ-25 scores in the observation group and in the photocoagulation group did not change statistically between the time of entry and 1 year later (p = 0.113, 0.169, respectively), while the score of the vitrectomy group increased statistically (p < 0.001). In addition, although VFQ-25 scores were statistically significant among the three groups at the time of entry (p < 0.05), the scores 1 year later were not statistically different between the photocoagulation group and vitrectomy group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy may be effective in increasing the quality of life of patients with diabetic retinopathy.