Dynamic assessment of quality of life associated with visual impairment in patients receiving chemotherapy

Abstract

Relevance: Chemotherapy and targeted therapy used in cancer treatment are often associated with side effects that affect visual function. Such complications include dry eye syndrome, cataracts, keratopathy, and retinopathy, which can significantly worsen patients' quality of life. This work focuses on assessing the quality of life of cancer patients experiencing visual impairment and the importance of monitoring these side effects.

The study aimed to explore the quality of life of cancer patients with visual impairments resulting from exposure to chemotherapy and targeted therapy, with special attention to the timing of visual complications, their severity, and reversibility.

Methods: The study analyzed 65 scientific articles in Russian and English published in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from 2012 to 2024. The search used keywords related to chemotherapy, toxic effects on vision, and malignant neoplasms. The study included meta-analyses, systematic reviews, controlled clinical trials, and individual case reports.

Results: Chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin and paclitaxel cause visual impairment, including dry eye syndrome, red eyes, cataracts, and retinopathy. Targeted drugs such as bevacizumab and erlotinib cause corneal damage, conjunctivitis, and uveitis. Visual impairment significantly worsens patients' quality of life, creating difficulties in performing everyday tasks such as reading, driving, and recognizing faces. These impairments also cause discomfort, dry eyes, and lacrimation and can lead to decreased visual acuity. In rare cases, the consequences of such impairments lead to partial or complete loss of vision, which seriously affects the patient's social functioning and emotional state. The use of special ophthalmological questionnaires allows for the early detection of side effects, which helps improve patients' quality of life.

Conclusion: Dynamic quality of life assessment represents a promising approach to understanding and addressing visual impairment in patients receiving chemotherapy and targeted therapy. These methods consider temporal variations and contextual factors that influence quality of life, opening the way for personalized interventions that may improve treatment outcomes.