Quality of life in patients with glaucoma who live in a developing country

To assess the functional status and well-being in glaucoma patients who live in a developing country. Cross-sectional case control study, comprising 102 glaucoma patients and 58 controls. All subjects were administered the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form survey (SF-36). SF-36 scores for study and control groups were compared. Statistical analysis included Student's t-test for score data and Student's t- and chi-square tests for demographic data. Patients with glaucoma had significantly lower scores than healthy control subjects (p < 0.05) in five domains of the SF-36 survey (physical functioning, role-emotional, bodily pain, social functioning and mental health). Bodily pain was the domain with the lowest score. Patients with glaucoma who live in a developing country have less functional status than non-glaucomatous patients.