OBJECTIVE: To verify the Quality of life for the Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) patients. These subjects have a higher risk for severe visual loss, due to the vascular retina complications. METHODS: We evaluated the Quality of Life of 61 PDR patients, over 18 years old, who have been followed up in the Ophthalmology Clinic of the Clinical Hospital of Medicine School of São Paulo, Brazil. All patients data were obtained using a questionnaire of health quality of life "WHOQOL Bref - Portuguese version - 1998", and the statistical analysis was done using SPSS program. The 61 patients were classified in two groups: Group I, with 28 patients (46%), with better visual acuity (VA) of 20/200 and Group II, with 33 patients (54%), with worse or equal VA of 20/200. RESULTS: No statistical significant difference (SSD) was observed between the groups, regarding to physical domain (p= 0,255) and psychological domain (p=0,287). SSD was observed between the groups, regarding to social domain (p=0.019) and environment domain (p=0.009). CONCLUSION: Patients with poor VA can be equivalent with those with better vision in physical and psychological domains (no SSD). The SSD regarding to social and environment domains demonstrate the lack of social support for people living with severe visual loss.
Diabetes mellitus; Diabetic retinopathy; Quality of life
