Vision- and health-related quality of life in patients with visual field impairments after lesions to the central visual pathway

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As the population ages and life expectancy increases, more patients are experiencing visual field impairments from various causes, particularly as stroke-related mortality declines. This trend results in a growing number of individuals needing to adapt to vision impairments following cerebral lesions. Visual field loss (VFL) significantly affects daily activities such as reading, driving, and overall orientation, severely impacting patients' well-being and quality of life (QoL). While numerous studies have evaluated self-reported disabilities post-stroke using general health-related QoL questionnaires, few have specifically addressed vision-related QoL in patients with VFL due to cerebral damage. Most existing research has focused on vision-related QoL in patients with ophthalmologic conditions like glaucoma, cataract, and age-related macular degeneration, often employing the National Eye Institute - Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) as a reliable assessment tool. Findings consistently show diminished vision-related QoL across these conditions, even when accounting for age. A literature review was conducted to identify vision-specific QoL questionnaires, leading to the selection of the NEI-VFQ for studying the relationship between VFL after cerebral damage and vision-specific QoL, as it has been effectively used in patients with central visual pathway damage and shows strong correlations with self-reported visual functio