Psychosocial impact of childhood glaucoma in adults is substantial

The emotional well-being of adults with childhood glaucoma is severely impacted by the condition, according to a study.

In this exploratory qualitative study, 47 patients (mean age: 40.0 ± 15.3 years) with childhood glaucoma semi-structured in-depth interviews to determine 10 QoL themes.

The most common themes were coping strategies and emotional well-being, with participants <40 years, participants without vision impairment, or participants reviewed less regularly, more often utilizing maladaptive coping strategies such as treatment nonadherence.

Participants noted feeling misunderstood, being self-conscious of disease-related physical manifestations, and anxiety about the possible disease progression.

A novel QoL theme focused on family planning and the worry that their children may potentially have childhood glaucoma or not being able to achieve parental duties.

Reference
Knight LS, Ridge B, Staffieri SE, et al. Quality of life in adults with childhood glaucoma: An interview study. Ophthalmol Glaucoma. 2021;S2589-4196(21)00211-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ogla.2021.09.007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34562634.