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Abstract
Background
As the field of retinal prostheses advances, volunteers are required for device trials, and optimal participant recruitment is vital for intervention success. The aims of this study were: (i) to select tests that assess the psychosocial aspects of visual impairment and develop a psychosocial assessment protocol for persons who may be eligible for participation in retinal prostheses trials; (ii) to investigate correlations between these tests; and (iii) to determine associations between psychosocial factors and a person's interest in participating in a retinal prosthesis (bionic eye) trial.
Methods
Cross‐sectional study of 72 adults with advanced retinal degeneration. Questionnaire assessments included personality, cognitive ability, social‐support, self‐efficacy, coping, optimism, depression, and quality of life (Impact of Vision Impairment Profile ([IVI], and Vision and Quality of Life Index [VisQoL]). Level of interest in a retinal prosthesis was also evaluated.
Results
All questionnaires were completed without floor or ceiling effects and with minimal respondent burden. Depression correlated with decreased quality of life (rho = −0.37 and 0.40, p < 0.001 for IVI and VisQoL, respectively). Together, depression, gender and vision‐specific coping explained 35.2 per cent of variance in IVI quality of life (p < 0.001). Forty‐nine per cent of participants were interested in a retinal prosthesis now and 77 per cent in the future. Although the personality trait of ‘openness’ was somewhat predictive of interest in retinal prostheses (odds ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.62–0.97), neither severity of vision impairment nor any of the psychosocial measures were strong predictors.
Conclusions
Several existing psychosocial questionnaires can be used for patients with advanced retinal degeneration and may be useful in exploring suitability for a retinal prosthesis or evaluating outcomes. However, the questionnaires used in this study were not good predictors of whether or not a person might be interested in a retinal prosthesis.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by the Australian Research Council through its Special Research Initiative in Bionic Vision Science and Technology grant to Bionic Vision Australia, and a Retina Australia Research Grant to SAB and LNA. Centre for Eye Research Australia receives Operational Infrastructure Support from the Victorian Government and is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Clinical Research Excellence Award 529923.