Validation of the Pediatric Eye Questionnaire in Children with Visual Impairment

Purpose: To evaluate the recently developed Pediatric Eye Questionnaire (PedEyeQ) in visually impaired and visually normal children, as an initial validation of the PedEyeQ. Design: Questionnaire validation study. Methods: A total of 48 children with visual impairment (retinal, cortical, and corneal conditions) and 59 visually normal controls were enrolled at 2 centers. Five- to 17-year-old children completed the Child PedEyeQ (5-11- and 12-17-year-old versions), and parents completed the Proxy PedEyeQ (0-4-, 5-11-, and 12-17-year-old versions) and the Parent PedEyeQ. Rasch scores were calculated by age group for each distinct domain within each age-specific PedEyeQ (converted to 0-100 for interpretation). Domains for the Child PedEyeQ are functional vision, bothered by eyes/vision, social, and frustration/worry. Proxy PedEyeQ domains are functional vision, bothered by eyes/vision, social, frustration/worry, and eye care. Parent PedEyeQ domains are impact on parent and family, worry about child's eye condition, worry about child's self-perception/interactions, and worry about child's functional vision. For each domain, median PedEyeQ scores were compared between visually impaired and visually normal cohorts. Results: Child 5-11 and 12-17 PedEyeQ scores were significantly lower (worse) for visually impaired children than for controls for each domain (P <.007), except for the social domain in 5-11-year-old children (P =.13). In addition, Proxy 0-4-, 5-11-, and 12-17-year-old PedEyeQ scores, and Parent PedEyeQ scores, were lower for visually impaired children across all domains (P <.001). Conclusions: Visually impaired children and their parents had significantly lower (worse) PedEyeQ scores than visually normal controls, across functional vision and eye-related quality of life domains, demonstrating known-group validity of the PedEyeQ in children with visual impairment.