Vision-related Quality of Life and Employment Status in Patients with Uveitis of Working Age: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the quality of life and employment status of patients with chronic uveitis using oral immunosuppression.

Methods: A prospective questionnaire-based study.

Results: Forty-six patients had a mean Vision Core Module 1 (VCM1) score of 1.4. The 41 patients with binocular acuity better than or equal to +0.3 logMAR (able to drive) achieved a mean score of 1.2. The 5 patients worse than +0.3 logMAR scored 2.6. This difference was highly significant. Six were unemployed (4 having lost their job because of uveitis-related problems); 3 felt at risk of losing their job; 13 believed their employers had concerns about their sick leave, and 7 used annual leave for hospital visits.

Conclusion: Chronic uveitis, even if well controlled, can have substantial effects on a patient's social and psychological health, and can lead to significant work disability.

KEYWORDS::

• Employment
• immunosuppression
• quality of life
• uveitis
• visual loss

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.