Objective: To evaluate the influence of strabismus surgery on quality of life (QoL) in Graves' orbitopathy (GO) patients.
Design: Prospective study of case series.
Methods: Consecutive GO-patients who were scheduled for their first strabismus surgery were included in the study. The patients completed the GO-QoL questionnaire within 3 months before the surgery and 2-4 months after the surgery. A complete orthoptic examination, including the field of binocular single vision (BSV), was performed. Clinically relevant response (CRR) in the QoL was also evaluated.
Results: In this study, 28 patients were included. The GO-QoL score for visual functioning was 46.3±24.2 before surgery and 65.7±30.5 after surgery (P=0.009). The GO-QoL score for appearance changed from 60.6±25.9 to 69.5±24.2 (P=0.005). After surgery, the field of BSV increased from 24.3±34.8 to 68.5±36.0 points (P=0.000). A weak correlation was found between the field of BSV and the visual functioning score after surgery (r=0.417; P=0.034). CRR was found in 20 (71%) patients. Those with a CRR showed a larger field of BSV (P=0.002) and better GO-QoL scores (P=0.008).
Conclusions: GO-QoL score increases significantly for both visual functioning and appearance after the first strabismus surgery in GO-patients, showing the highest improvement for the visual functioning questions. Both the GO-QoL and field of BSV outcomes correlate well with the CRR.