Comparison of Effect of Contact Lenses on Daily Life in Myopia and Myopic Astigmatisma: VF-14 Questionnaire

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the visual functions of individuals with mild to moderate myopia (-2.00 D to -5.00 D) and myopic astigmatism (-1.25 D to -2.75 D) who are wearing contact lenses with those wearing spectacles. Materials and Methods: Eighty participants (40 myopia and 40 myopic astigmatism) who have been followed up at our contact lens unit were included. All participants were using both contact lenses and spectacles. The VF-14 questionnaire was used to compare the impacts of contact lenses wearing versus spectacles on daily life. Results: In myopic participants, the mean VF-14 scores for spectacles and contact lenses were 89.5±18.7 and 96.6±9.3 respectively (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between spectacles and contact lenses in following activities: watching TV, sports involvement, seeing steps/stairs, playing table games and cooking (p=0.005, p ˂ 0.001, p=0.003, p=0.008, p ˂ 0.001, respectively, paired t tests). In participants with myopic astigmatism, mean VF-14 scores for spectacles and contact lenses were 88.7±21.8 and 98.3±6.3 respectively (p < 0.001). Statistically significant difference was found between spectacles and contact lenses for the following activities: doing fine handwork, driving at night, watching TV, sports involvement, seeing steps/stairs, playing table games, cooking and recognizing people at distance (p=0.001, p=0.039, p=0.001, p ˂ 0.001, p=0.031, p=0.027, p ˂ 0.001, p=0.023 respectively, paired t tests). When two groups were compared in terms of all the questions, the VF 14 score was found significantly better in participants wearing contact lenses for the correction of myopic astigmatism during reading small print and doing fine hand work (p=0.002 and p=0.005, respectively; independent sample test). Conclusions: Wearing contact lenses is more favorable than spectacles in most of daily activities in individuals with mild to moderate myopia and myopic astigmatism. It can improve the quality of life even further in individuals with myopic astigmatism.