Abstract:
Purpose: To establish the practicality of survey scale in estimating baseline severity at the time of diagnosis and resolution of Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) symptoms after topical medication Study Design: Longitudinal survey design Place and Duration of Study: Ophthalmology department of Nishtar Medical Hospital, Multan from June 2021 to November 2021 Methods: A total of 267 VKC (vernal keratoconjunctivitis) patients' data was filled in on preformed Google forms. Improvement in symptoms after follow-ups was recorded on it. Chi-squared test and Kruskal-Wallis test were employed to determine the statistical significance of the variables. Results: There were 52.4% females and mean age of the patients was 29.52 ± 18.39 years. There was preponderance of patients falling under 20 years of age. At baseline, 63.3% patients were on topical steroids, while 5.6% of patients were using steroids at the second follow-up visit. The mean interval between patients' visits to the hospital was 7.64 ± 2.086 weeks. Nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to calculate the difference in means of radial point scale scores at the baseline examination (4.47 ± 2.321) and second follow-up (1.31 ± 1.615) visits. Z-score value was 15.266 with a significance of 0.001. For patient satisfaction and resolution of symptoms at the second follow-up visit, Chi-square values were 164.75 and 119.55, respectively, with a significance of 0.001 in each case. Conclusion: The survey scale aided in quantifying disease symptoms, which can be useful in prescribing and adjusting the medications' dosage easier.
Keywords:
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis
,
Steroids
,
Antihistamines
,
Cyclosporine