Rasch validation of the Keratoconus End-Points Assessment Questionnaire in a Spanish population with keratoconus

Abstract

Objective

To carry out a methodologically complete validation of the Spanish version of the Keratoconus End-Points Assessment Questionnaire (KEPAQ) in a Spanish population with keratoconus.

Methods

Analytical, prospective study, including patients with keratoconus without previous surgical history, in which a measurement of quality of life was performed using the KEPAQ questionnaire, a complete exploration of the anterior pole and a corneal elevation topography with the Galilei G6 topographer. The evaluation of the psychometric characteristics of the scale in the studied population was carried out using Rasch modeling.

Results

A total of 140 patients with keratoconus were included, with a median age of 26.0 years, the majority (57.6%) being men. For the KEPAQ-E subscale, the median score was 69.3, with a reliability of 0.85 and an eigenvalue of the first contrast of 2.34. For the KEPAQ-F, the median score was 56.4, with a reliability of 0.88 and an eigenvalue of 2.00. All infit and outfit parameters were within normal limits for both subscales. A significant evaluation was found between the evaluations of both subscales (rho = 0.696; p < 0.001). The evaluations of the subscales and various clinical and tomographic characteristics showed a significant classification between them (p value between 0.048 y 0.001).

Conclusion

The KEPAQ is a psychometrically robust and valid scale to evaluate quality of life in the Spanish population with keratoconus. This questionnaire can be easily used for both clinical and research aims.