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Br J Ophthalmol 2009;93:1431-1436 doi:10.1136/bjo.2009.158428
  • Global issues

Development of a Chinese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (CHI-VFQ-25) as a tool to study patients with eye diseases in Hong Kong

  1. C W S Chan1,
  2. D Wong1,
  3. C L K Lam2,
  4. S McGhee3,
  5. W W Lai1
  1. 1
    Eye Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
  2. 2
    Department of Medicine (FMU), The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
  3. 3
    Department of Community Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
  1. Correspondence to Dr W W Lai, The Eye Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Room 301, Block B, Cyberport 4, 100 Cyberport Road, Hong Kong; wicolai{at}hku.hk
  • Accepted 25 May 2009
  • Published Online First 9 June 2009

Abstract

Background: To develop a Chinese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (CHI-VFQ-25) and to test its reliability and validity in a group of patients with eye diseases in Hong Kong.

Methods: The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) was translated into Chinese. Patients were recruited from Hong Kong, and their demographic data and visual acuity were documented. Psychometric properties of the CHI-VFQ-25, including internal consistency, test–retest reliability, item–scale correlations and construct validity were tested.

Results: 250 patients were recruited. The mean age of the patients was 66.04 (SD 14.00). 46% of them were male. The non-response rate and the floor and ceiling numbers of the CHI-VFQ-25 were calculated. The internal consistency was high in most subscales (except the general health and driving subscales), with Cronbach α ranging from 0.72–0.90. The test–retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.90). Patients with worse visual acuity had significantly lower scores on the CHI-VFQ-25 supporting construct validity.

Conclusion: The CHI-VFQ-25 is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the visual functions of Chinese patients with eye diseases in Hong Kong. Some questions had high non-response rates and should be substituted by the available alternatives.

Footnotes

  • Funding This study is supported in part by the Seed Funding Program and the University Development Fund, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong.

  • Competing interests None.

  • Provenance and Peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Ethics approval Ethics approval was provided by Institutional Review Board, The University of Hong Kong.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

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