Introduction: Ophthalmologists contend with a wide range of painful acute and chronic diseases. However, there is no tool specific to ocular pain that aids the patient in describing and quantifying pain.
Purpose: Our objective was to develop a tool that would allow the ophthalmologist to identify the patient's pain quickly and precisely in order to measure its intensity and to determine possible causes.
Methods: An interview guide was elaborated after a literature review. Structured interviews were conducted in hospitals by a clinical research associate with patients suffering from painful acute or chronic pathologies. Different types of quantification and description of pain were proposed to patients. A questionnaire was developed and tested. After the analysis of the tests, the ODEON pilot questionnaire (Objectif Douleur En Ophtalmologie et Neuro-ophtalmologie: target: ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic pain) was developed.
Results: Twenty patients presenting ten different diagnoses were interviewed. Patients preferred to quantify pain with visual analogic or graduated scales. They appreciated the help of pictograms to describe their pain. Eight other patients presenting six different diagnoses tested the questionnaire. They judged the test version valid and easy to use, except for the section on emotional descriptors. An average of approximately 20 minutes was necessary to complete the questionnaire. After the tests, various questions were combined, reformulated, deleted or added. The ODEON pilot questionnaire contains five sections: 1. general health, 2. eyes and eyesight, 3. pain, 4. pain relief, 5. pictograms and sensorial descriptors. The closed- and open-ended questions included in these dimensions make it possible to measure patient pain and help the practitioner with patient management.
Conclusion: The ODEON pilot questionnaire was developed under the supervision of a pilot committee involving clinicians and methodologists. Patients have indicated acceptance of this self-administered questionnaire during the cognitive debriefing and it is now being validated.