Quality of Life of Caregivers of Children With Glaucoma in an Arab Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the quality of life (QoL) measures of caregivers of children with glaucoma using the Caregiver's Congenital Glaucoma Quality of Life (CarCGQoL) questionnaire.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study undertaken at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. QoL of the caregivers, the main outcome, was assessed using the 20-item CarCGQoL questionnaire. Raw QoL scores of caregivers were converted to Rasch-calibrated interval level scores. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with caregivers' QoL.

RESULTS

Eighty-five caregivers (46 fathers and 39 mothers) aged 42.5±7.5 years were included in the study. The mean QoL score of caregivers was 0.63 (±1.05). The presence of additional children with glaucoma in the household had the strongest negative relationship with caregivers' QoL [β=-0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.22, -0.27; P=0.003]. A poor QoL was noted with mother caregivers (β=-0.46, 95%

CI

-0.87, -0.04; P=0.031) and those caring for blind children (vision <20/200 in the better eye) (β=-0.52, 95%

CI

-0.98,-0.05; P=0.030) when compared with their reference groups. A 22.3% variance in the QoL score was explained by these three factors (adjusted R=0.223).

CONCLUSIONS

The QoL of caregivers of children with glaucoma was poor. Caregiver's relation to patients, additional children with glaucoma in the family and patient's vision in the better eye could influence a caregiver's QoL. Periodic evaluation of QoL of caregivers is recommended to plan counseling and other support services.