PROM for refractive surgery
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of a new patient reported outcome (PRO) measure for refractive surgery
IRAS ID
246072
Contact name
Bruce Allan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary\n\nPatient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are questionnaires designed to record the way patients feel about medical problems, and the impact of treatment on their lives. PROMs are typically questionnaires with a set of related items dealing with one or more areas, or domains, of patients life. Patients will rate how they feel about each item using a scale of response options ranging from good to bad. Statistical techniques are then used to combine responses into a summary score.\n\nDomains that are important to refractive surgery (surgery to correct the need for glasses or contact lenses) are: spectacle dependence; quality of vision; eye comfort; freedom; emotional well-being; and overall satisfaction with the results of surgery. \n\nExisting PROs in refractive surgery are either too long to be of practical use, poorly targeted (the questions do not make sense to the target patient group), multidimensional (domains contain items that are not relevant to the domain being measured), or not developed using contemporary statistical methods used to convert responses into summary scores. \n\nWe aim to develop a simple, clear, easy to use, on-line questionnaire for refractive surgery which covers the key domains identified above in approximately 30 questions. Patients can complete the questionnaire at home or in the clinic waiting room in 10-15 minutes using a phone or pad. The data will archive, score and summarise automatically. \n\nThe questionnaire will be developed in collaboration with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists National Dataset for Refractive Surgery Development Group, with the aim of incorporating the PRO measure into routine clinical data collection and national audit projects in the UK and internationally. \n\nResearch Results:\nWe have developed and validated a questionnaire for use in the evaluation of refractive surgery (surgery to reduce spectacle dependence) outcomes. The 11 item questionnaire (the Vision Correction Questionnaire) is designed for self-administration using an iPad or phone. It is self-explanatory, and the data is automatically archived. It is designed to give information about spectacle dependence, comfort, quality of vision, emotional wellbeing, and overall satisfaction - all from the patient’s perspective. A technique called Rasch weighting helps us to quantify emotional wellbeing, or how a patient feels before and after treatment, using a series of 5 questions. In combination with a generic quality of life measure, such as the EQ5D, the VCQ yields valuable information about the impact of refractive surgery on quality of life.
Summary of Results
: We have developed and validated a questionnaire for use in the evaluation of refractive surgery (surgery to reduce spectacle dependence) outcomes. The 11 item questionnaire (the Vision Correction Questionnaire) is designed for self-administration using an iPad or phone. It is self-explanatory, and the data is automatically archived. It is designed to give information about spectacle dependence, comfort, quality of vision, emotional wellbeing, and overall satisfaction - all from the patient's perspective. A technique called Rasch weighting helps us to quantify emotional wellbeing, or how a patient feels before and after treatment, using a series of 5 questions. In combination with a generic quality of life measure, such as the EQ5D, the VCQ yields valuable information about the impact of refractive surgery on quality of life.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
18/NS/0058
Date of REC Opinion
21 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion