To assess the impact of bilateral vision status on vision-related quality of life (VR-QOL) in patients with Type 2 diabetes in a Chinese cohort.

Patients with presenting visual acuity (PVA) and VR-QOL data from the Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study were included. Vision-related quality of life was assessed using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25. Monocular PVA (Snellen) was categorized into three levels for both the better-seeing eye and worse-seeing eye: 1) high PVA (H, > 6/18); 2) moderate PVA (M, 6/18–6/60); and 3) low PVA (L, < 6/60). Based on the monocular PVAs, six categories of bilateral vision status were defined (H-H, H-M, H-L, M-M, M-L, and L-L). The parameters of VR-QOL were analyzed between the groups.

A total of 1,717 patients were enrolled. For better-seeing eyes in the same PVA level, the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 composite score decreased significantly with declining PVA in the worse-seeing eye (H-M vs. H-L: 80.5 ± 17.9 vs. 73.6 ± 22.5, P = 0.01; M-M vs. M-L: 78.7 ± 19.6 vs. 69.1 ± 26.4, P = 0.01). Conversely, for worse-seeing eyes in the same PVA level, there was no significant difference in the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 composite score as PVA changed in the better-seeing eye (H-M vs. M-M, 80.5 ± 17.9 vs. 78.7 ± 19.6, P = 0.30; H-L vs. M-L: 73.6 ± 22.5 vs. 69.1 ± 26.4, P = 0.25).

The PVA of the worse-seeing eye in bilateral vision has a greater impact on VR-QOL in diabetic patients. Priority treatment may be considered for the worse-seeing eye for diabetic patients with different bilateral vision statuses, to better improve VR-QOL.