Impact of uncorrected refractive errors on eye-related quality of life and functional vision in a cohort of African children.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of refractive errors on functional vision and eye-related quality of life (QoL) in a cohort of African children, using the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ).

Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted involving 169 children aged 5-17 years (97 with refractive errors and 72 visually normal controls) and their parents/guardians. Refractive errors were classified based on cycloplegic refraction. The PedEyeQ was administered through interviewer-assisted sessions to assess functional vision and psychosocial well-being across child, proxy and parent-reported domains. Statistical analyses were conducted using Mann-Whitney U-tests for group comparisons and Kruskal-Wallis tests for subgroup analyses, with Bonferroni corrections applied for multiple comparisons.

Results: Children with refractive errors had significantly lower PedEyeQ scores across all domains compared with controls (p < 0.01). Among refractive error types, astigmatism showed the most pronounced deficits in functional vision and psychosocial well-being. For children aged 5-11 years, median functional vision scores were 50 (43.7-70.0) for refractive error versus 90 (67.5-95.0) for the controls. Similarly, for children aged 12-17 years, the respective scores were 65 (45.0-75.0) and 90 (75.0-95.0). Proxy and parent-reported domains demonstrated similar findings, highlighting substantial impacts on family QoL and parental concerns.

Conclusion: Refractive errors, particularly astigmatism, impair functional vision and eye-related QoL severely in African children and their families, suggesting a need for early detection and correction to improve outcomes for these children.