Head Neck. 2025 Mar 14. doi: 10.1002/hed.28133. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Literature about ocular toxicity after head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment is scarce. This study aimed to describe visual function and ocular symptoms among HNC patients.
METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional design. Two surveys, The National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) and an Ocular Symptom Scale, were sent to participants via e-mail. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample in the vision change and non-vision change groups. Chi-square and t-tests were used to compare groups.
RESULTS: Of the 485 HNC patients emailed, 126 responded to the survey (26%). Of those, 114 completed the surveys. The scores of NEI-VFQ were significantly lower in the vision change group than in the non-vision change group (p < 0.001). Similarly, all ocular symptoms were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings and a scarcity of literature suggest that vision screening after HNC treatment is warranted.
PMID:40087146 | DOI:10.1002/hed.28133
