Prevalence and nature of self-reported visual complaints in people with Parkinson’s disease - Outcome of the Screening Visual Complaints questionnaire

Methods

The Screening Visual Complaints questionnaire (SVCq) screened for 19 visual complaints in a large cohort of people with idiopathic PD (n = 581) and an age-matched control group (n = 583). Results: People with PD experienced significantly more complaints than control subjects, even when there was no underlying ophthalmological condition present. In addition, they experienced a greater impact of visual complaints on their daily lives.

Complaints that were most common (‘often/always’) were unclear vision (21.7%), difficulty reading (21.6%), trouble focusing (17.1%), blinded by bright light (16.8%),needing more light (16.6%), and reduced contrast (16.1%). Age, disease duration, disease severity, and the amount of antiparkinsonian medication related positively to the prevalence and severity of visual complaints. Most complaints did not differ between the sexes.

Conclusion: Visual complaints are highly prevalent in people with PD. These complaints progress with the disease and can only partially be explained by the presence of ophthalmological conditions. Standardized questioning is advised for timely recognition and treatment of these complaints.