%0 Journal Article
%T Web-Based Assessment of Visual and Visuospatial Symptoms in ParkinsonĄ¯s Disease
%A Melissa M. Amick
%A Ivy N. Miller
%A Sandy Neargarder
%A Alice Cronin-Golomb
%J Parkinson's Disease
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/564812
%X Visual and visuospatial dysfunction is prevalent in ParkinsonĄ¯s disease (PD). To promote assessment of these often overlooked symptoms, we adapted the PD Vision Questionnaire for Internet administration. The questionnaire evaluates visual and visuospatial symptoms, impairments in activities of daily living (ADLs), and motor symptoms. PD participants of mild to moderate motor severity ( ) and healthy control participants (HC, ) completed the questionnaire in paper and web-based formats. Reliability was assessed by comparing responses across formats. Construct validity was evaluated by reference to performance on measures of vision, visuospatial cognition, ADLs, and motor symptoms. The web-based format showed excellent reliability with respect to the paper format for both groups (all ; HC completing the visual and visuospatial section only). Demonstrating the construct validity of the web-based questionnaire, self-rated ADL and visual and visuospatial functioning were significantly associated with performance on objective measures of these abilities (all ). The findings indicate that web-based administration may be a reliable and valid method of assessing visual and visuospatial and ADL functioning in PD. 1. Introduction Visual and visuospatial deficits are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and negatively affect everyday functioning. The PD Vision Questionnaire was developed to document the prevalence of these impairments [1]. It revealed that the large majority of respondents in the mild to moderate stages of the disease endorsed at least one such symptom [2]. Numerous studies have shown that individuals with PD demonstrate visual and high-order spatial impairments on laboratory-based assessments that cannot be accounted for by motor or executive dysfunction. Visual impairments and in particular, reduced contrast sensitivity, are well established [3¨C7]. In regard to visuospatial abilities, PD patients are impaired on global/local processing [8], a skill independent of executive demands, as well as mental rotation, way finding, visual construction, visuospatial reasoning, and angle size estimation [9¨C12]. Visual deficits have been linked to freezing of gait, an extremely debilitating motor symptom [2]. Further, PD-related visual and spatial abilities are predictors of the ability to drive, a visually mediated ADL [13¨C15] that is important to independent living. Considering their prevalence and negative functional impact, there is a critical need for further information on these underappreciated nonmotor symptoms. A challenge to the assessment of a
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/pd/2012/564812/