Impact of ocular abnormalities on quality of life among stroke survivors: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: Stroke is a major cause of long-term disability globally, and visual impairment is among its most common sequelae. With improved survival, attention has shifted from acute management to addressing long-term outcomes that influence quality of life (QoL). Ocular abnormalities represent a significant but often overlooked complication of stroke. This study assessed the quality of life of stroke survivors and examined the impact of ocular abnormalities on vision-related quality of life scores. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study involving 83 consecutive new stroke patients seen at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, over 3 months was conducted. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising biodata, visual history, ocular examination results and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 QoL instrument. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for analysis. Results: The 83 participants (166 eyes) were aged 40–71 years (mean 55.3 ± 7.1), with 59.0% males. Most participants were employed (67.5%) and 48.2% had tertiary education. Ocular abnormalities were present in 69 participants, leading to a prevalence of 83.1%. QoL scores were generally high. Overall, 96.4% of participants reported high QoL in general health/vision, 89.2% reported high QoL in difficulty-with-activities and 79.5% reported high QoL in responses to vision problems. Only cataract ( P < 0.001) and grade 3 hypertensive retinopathy ( P = 0.039) showed statistically significant associations with QoL. Stroke-related abnormalities such as visual field defects, ptosis and ocular motor paresis showed no significant relationship with QoL. Conclusion: Despite a high prevalence of ocular abnormalities, most stroke survivors demonstrated high vision-related QoL, possibly due to resolution of visual deficits before assessment. Early and regular ophthalmic evaluation is recommended to optimise QoL in this population.