Glaucoma Quality of Life-15
Also known as: GQL-15, Glaucoma QoL
The GQL-15 is a 15-item, disease-specific quality of life questionnaire designed to measure the impact of glaucoma on patients' daily functioning and psychological well-being. Developed by Nelson, Aspinall, and colleagues in the UK (1998), the GQL-15 emphasizes glaucoma-specific concerns—visual field loss, peripheral vision, lighting sensitivity, and falls risk—making it a sensitive complement to generic or broader vision-related instruments in glaucoma populations.
Read the full method
Sign in with a free account to read this section.
Method map
The neighbourhood of related methods — select a node to explore.
When to use it
Ideal for glaucoma patients across all severity stages—mild suspected glaucoma, established disease, advanced glaucoma—to understand subjective burden and inform shared decision-making about treatment intensity. Particularly valuable when VA is normal but visual field loss is advancing, or when IOP is well-controlled but patient anxiety remains high. Recommended at baseline, at 6–12 month intervals during treatment, and after any major intervention. Helps distinguish glaucoma anxiety from true functional impairment.
Strengths & limitations
- Disease-specific: directly addresses peripheral field loss, falls risk, and lighting difficulty unique to glaucoma; more targeted than generic vision instruments
- Validated in glaucoma populations: strong internal consistency (Cronbach α ~0.85), test-retest reliability (ICC >0.75), and sensitivity to glaucoma severity and progression
- Brief and practical: 15 items completed in 5 minutes, suitable for routine clinical use and busy practices
- Predictive of real-world risk: GQL-15 scores correlate with actual falls, driving cessation, and future visual disability in glaucoma cohorts
- Simple scoring: single global score (0–100); no complex algorithm; easily tracked over time in electronic health records
- Relatively short instrument may miss nuanced QoL domains (e.g., color vision, near vision, hobbies); not multidimensional like NEI-VFQ-25
- Limited translation and validation outside English-speaking populations; less extensively studied than VFQ-25 in international cohorts
- Does not distinguish among different causes of QoL loss (e.g., side effects vs. disease vs. comorbidities); clinician judgment required
- Validation primarily in UK/European populations; applicability to other ethnic groups and healthcare systems less established
- No subscales; cannot pinpoint whether patient's QoL loss is driven by visual, mobility, lighting, or emotional factors
Frequently asked
How does GQL-15 differ from the NEI-VFQ-25 in glaucoma patients?
GQL-15 is glaucoma-specific with items on peripheral vision, falls, and lighting difficulty; VFQ-25 is broader, covering distance, near, driving, and other vision domains across all eye conditions. In glaucoma, GQL-15 is often more sensitive to disease-specific burden; VFQ-25 may be less sensitive if peripheral field loss has not yet reduced reading or driving. Both are valid; many trials use both for comprehensive assessment.
What is the score scale, and what does a change of 10 points mean?
GQL-15 is converted to a 0–100 scale (lower = better QoL). A change of 5–10 points is considered clinically meaningful. For example, improvement from 45 to 35 after successful glaucoma surgery indicates substantial QoL gain; worsening from 30 to 50 may signal disease progression or medication side effects warranting intervention adjustment.
Can GQL-15 be used in advanced glaucoma or near-total visual field loss?
Yes. Even in advanced stages, GQL-15 captures remaining functional difficulty, anxiety about further loss, and mobility/falls risk. However, floor effects may occur in blindness, where most items score near maximum (worst). In such cases, qualitative assessment or low-vision specific instruments complement GQL-15.
Is GQL-15 free to use, and what are licensing requirements?
GQL-15 is not proprietary and is freely available for clinical and research use. No licensing or payment required. Always cite Nelson et al. (1998) in publications. Versions in multiple languages exist with varying validation status; check the literature for your target language.
Sources
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Glaucoma Quality of Life-15. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/ophthalmology/glaucoma-quality-of-life
Which method?
Set this method beside its closest kin and read them side by side — the library lays the books on the table; the choice is yours.
- IVIOphthalmology↔ compare
- LVQOLOphthalmology↔ compare
- NEI-VFQ-25Ophthalmology↔ compare
- VF-14Ophthalmology↔ compare