The College of Optometrists in Vision Development –QOL Questionnaire in a socially at-risk population of youth

Background: The literature reports a highprevalence of visual dysfunction in those populationsthat are socially at-risk. This research is designedto determine the effectiveness of the College ofOptometrists in Vision Development - QOL (COVDQOL)Questionnaire in this special population.Methods: Youth enrolled in a special high school(n=123) were given vision screenings followed bycomprehensive optometric examinations for thosereferred (n=55). Twenty-four were placed into avision therapy group and 31 into a control group fora period of 12 weeks. Prescription lenses were alsoprovided, as needed.Results: Significant differences were measuredon the COVD-QOL between those who passed thescreening and those who failed. Also, significant pretestand post-test differences were found on thosesubjects within both the vision therapy and controlgroups. When a cutoff score of 20 was used, thevision therapy group showed greater improvement insymptom scores than the control group.Conclusions: The COVD-QOL questionnairedifferentiated between subjects found to be at visual risk and those not at visual risk when using overallscores and cutoff scores and is better suited to measurepre-test/post-test intervention results rather than asan alternative visual screening battery.Bleything WB, Landis SL. Effectiveness of the College of Optometristsin Vision Development – QOL Questionnaire in a socially at riskpopulation of youth. Optom Vis Dev 2008;39(2):82-90.