Aliyah Thotathil, Tasleem Ahmad, Stuti Misra, Rachael Niederer

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify and compare the quality of life of patients with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and uveitis based on their vision and general health.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of eligible participants over 18 years old with a clinical diagnosis of acute HZO, uveitis or healthy controls. Data was collected using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) and World Health Organization Quality of Life brief questionnaire.
Results: Seventy-nine participants were recruited including 55 with uveitis, six with HZO and 18 control participants. Mean age was 40.56- ± -16.71 for controls, 61.33 ± 17.44 for participants with HZO, and 49.55 ± 15.39 for participants with uveitis. On univariate analysis, age (p = 0.036), uveitis (p = 0.001) and binocular visual acuity (p < 0.001) were predictive of VFQ-25. Significant differences in VFQ-25 scores were observed between the three groups in all domains except for vision-related social function and colour vision. Patients with HZO had higher visual function quality of life measurements than uveitis patients, and poorer than the control group, except for ocular pain. In the World Health Organization Quality of Life brief questionnaire, no significant differences were observed in general quality of life between the two groups. Conclusion: The study concluded that patients with uveitis had a greater decrease in vision-related quality of life than those with HZO. Both had a lower mean composite score in the VFQ-25 compared to control participants. This study highlights the importance of understanding the impact of ocular disease on patients’ quality of life.