Pediatric Questionnaire Offers Vision-Related Quality of Life Assessment

Physicians can use the Student Refractive Error and Eyeglasses Questionnaire – Revised (SREEQ-R) to assess the vision-related quality of life (VRQol) of children with myopia, according to the results of a study published in Optometry and Vision Science. The questionnaire has demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability, according to a research team.

Community optometrists enlisted 125 UK participants with myopia who used spectacles (18 years or younger, -0.25 to -8.50 D) to complete the SREEQ-R.

The SREEQ-R includes 20 specific items, including a “without glasses” section that reflected perceptions of uncorrected vision/not wearing glasses vs and “with glasses” that reflected corrected vision/wearing glasses. 

The investigators found that the construct validity of the scale measured the impact of uncorrected and corrected refractive error on vision-related quality of life in myopic participants.

With the exception of item 3 ( “Have to squint to see things clearly”), the investigators noted significant changes with regard to the “with glasses” and “without glasses” sections in all items of the SREEQ-R. This supports the finding that the questionnaire is useful in assessing myopic children, since squinting is related to astigmatism and not myopia. 

“Overall, none of these questionnaires have adequate items with valid, precise subscales that can be generalizable to children with myopia,” the researchers note. “The SREEQ-R is best suited to measure the impact of spectacle correction in myopic children on their vision-related quality of life.”

Study limitations include convenience sampling from a single zip code within the UK, refractive error assessment through subjective refraction, and a failure to assess children with other refractive errors. Also, the SREEQ-R was administered only in English and not other languages.

Reference

Marupuru S, Dahlmann-Noor A, Crescioni M, et al. Validity and reliability of the student refractive error and eyeglasses questionnaire—revised version in myopic children. Optom Vis Sci. Published online on November 1, 2021. doi:10.1097/opx.0000000000001804