Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction Questionnaire

Purpose: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of quality of life impact of refractive correction (QIRC) questionnaire and its utility in assessment of refractive error‑related quality of life (QoL) following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Methods: Patients with low‑to‑moderate myopia (−0.75 to − 6.0) were enrolled in this study. Standard alcohol‑assisted PRK was performed in all patients. The QIRC questionnaire was translated into a Persian version using the standard method. Patients completed QIRC questionnaire preoperatively and 3‑month postoperatively. A group of patients completed the questionnaire twice preoperatively. Psychometric properties were evaluated by internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), item‑total correlation, and known group construct validity. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to examine the repeatability. Results: One hundred forty‑seven patients (60 males and 87 females) with a mean age of 26.3 ± 5.5 (range, 18–39) years were enrolled. Cronbach’s α for total score was 0.923. Item‑total correlation was above 0.3 for all items. ICC was 0.978 for total score. Preoperatively, predominantly contact lens wearers showed significantly better total QIRC score than predominantly spectacle wearers (P = 0.017), which showed good known group validity. Total QIRC score significantly increased from 41.31 ± 6.69 preoperatively to 50.47 ± 7.26 postoperatively (P < 0.0001). Improvement in total QIRC score was observed both in contact lens wearers and spectacle wearers. Conclusion: The Persian version of QIRC questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool. Refractive error‑related QoL assess by QIRC was significantly improved after PRK in an Iranian population.