Guest Editorial: Practicing Quality of Life in Ophthalmology

Ophthalmologists visit patients with “20/20” vision post-op who are not satisfied and at times encounter cases with significantly lower visual acuity who are totally satisfied; quality of life is at the heart of this. Quality of life (QoL) approach—in the healthcare context—advocates a focus on the softer psychosocial aspects of health care vis-à-vis the harder biological aspects and the adoption of a more holistic approach towards the patient. It closely relates to the biopsychosocial model,1 and its instruments provide an operational guide for psychosocial needs that are of relevance in tailoring the healthcare delivery and better service.2 As a consequence, QoL expands the evidence on clinical effectiveness into comprehensive effects of care on one’s life. Chronic illnesses like cancer, heart failure, renal failure, and rheumatologic conditions are most typical of the QoL question and in the era of rising life expectancy, QoL becomes all the more relevant. QoL questionnaires are put into two categories: generic—assessing one’s overall health under various disease conditions—and specific—used for defined disease entities. This is a sample of a QoL question:3