The Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire: English translation, validation, and subscales

Abstract

Purpose: To establish the English-language version of the Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire (ASQE).

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: A structured translation process was followed to generate the ASQE, a 26-item instrument (originally in Dutch) containing five subscales for fear of losing the better eye, distance estimation, visual disorientation, double vision, and social contact and appearance. The ASQE was administered to 150 adults in a private practice setting. All had strabismus with or without amblyopia and visual acuity of 20/50 or better in at least one eye. Subjects also completed a brief disability questionnaire, and they were further characterized by levels of unilateral vision loss, diplopia, and asthenopia.

Results: ASQE scores were highly correlated with the disability questionnaire outcomes (r = -.76, P < .0001). Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha) of the subscales ranged from 0.80 to 0.92. Strong correlations were found between clinical characteristics and the ASQE (total score and subscale scores).

Conclusions: The ASQE showed good psychometric properties that are in line with those of the original instrument. This, combined with strong correlations between ASQE scores and clinical characterization of the participants, establishes the ASQE as a useful tool for use in populations with strabismus and/or amblyopia.