Psychometric Properties of the Persian Multiple Sclerosis Vision Questionnaire in People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background

Up to 80% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience various visual symptoms. The MS Vision Questionnaire (MSVQ-7) is a self-report tool that assesses visual function in PwMS. This study is aimed at validating the MSVQ-7 in Persian-speaking PwMS and comparing its screening ability with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25).

Materials and Methods

A total of 140 PwMS were enrolled in this study. All participants completed the MSVQ-7 (higher scores indicate worse visual symptoms) and the NEI VFQ-25 (lower scores indicate worse visual symptoms). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach′s alpha. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to evaluate the structural validity. To assess convergent validity, correlations between the MSVQ-7 and the NEI VFQ-25 were examined. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to compare the MSVQ-7 and NEI VFQ-25 in classifying PwMS by optic neuritis (ON) history.

Results

The Persian MSVQ-7 demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach^′s alpha = 0.852). Test–retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.980; SEM = 0.65; MDC = 1.80), derived from the 63-participant retest subsample. The EFA revealed a unidimensional structure for the Persian MSVQ-7. There was a negative correlation between the MSVQ-7 and the NEI VFQ-25 (r = −0.72, p < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed that the MSVQ-7 (AUC = 0.901, sensitivity = 98.3%, and specificity = 71.2%) had better screening ability than the NEI VFQ-25 (AUC = 0.826, sensitivity = 68.8%, and specificity = 83.3%) for classifying PwMS based on having ON history.

Conclusion

MSVQ-7 is a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measure in Persian PwMS. Its high sensitivity makes it an effective screening tool for assessment of visual function.