Introduction: Quality of life (QoL) plays an increasingly important role in clinical studies and for the assessment of new technologies. It is directly relevant for evidence based individual patient treatment. Therefore the current study aims to summarize the impairment of vision-related QoL in selected diseases and their treatments.

Materials and methods: A short review based on the methods of assessing quality of life is given. Focussing on important retinal diseases like age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and disorders of the vitreoretinal interface (macular holes, ERM) the impairment of vision-related QoL by the diseases and changes by treatment are illustrated. Implications for clinical practice are discussed and recommendations are given.

Observation: While in some conditions visual acuity transfers well into visual QoL, this is frequently not the case and sometimes there is only weak or no correlation. Visual QoL is a more comprehensive endpoint including many other factors that influence vision such as visual field impairment, metamorphopsia or color perception. The visual QoL is also an expression of the visual preference of the individual patient.

Discussion: As patient perceived quality of vision may be considered the real goal of ophthalmologic therapy, it should also be considered more systematically in daily practice. Visual quality of life has a different information value than visual acuity. Evidence based study results of large patient numbers can be applied to decide on the most suitable therapeutic regimen for the individual patient.

Conclusion: Visual QoL has increasing importance not only in clinical studies but also in actual therapeutic decision making for the individual patient, although on many points further research is needed.