Living in darkness: quality of life of visually impaired women residing in rural districts of Tamil Nadu India

To assess the quality of life (QoL) and examine the factors associated with QoL among visually impaired women residing in rural districts of Tamil Nadu India. A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted with 333 visually impaired women aged between 18 and 44 who were residing in two districts of Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. A validated World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQOL-BREF) (Tamil version) was used to measure QoL. Among 333 visually impaired women, 48% were housewives, 73% had formal education, with an average age of 36.09 ± 5.97 years. Significant differences were observed across the domains of social relationships and environment in relation to education, occupation, housing type, religion, and community. The number of children and income also impacted quality of life domains. Furthermore, the disability of a spouse had an impact on psychological health, social relationships, and the environment. The study results suggest that factors such as occupation, income, housing type, community, and religion are important determinants of QoL, particularly in the domains of social relationships and environment. Socio-economic rehabilitation measures can help increase economic levels, improve living conditions and status in society, and enhance QoL.