OBJECTIVES: To assess the quality of life in Japanese patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) using The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire. METHODS: Here, 34 patients with FECD (FECD group) and 13 healthy individuals (control group) completed the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire Japanese version by interview format. The association between dominant eye corrected distance visual acuity and composite score (component 11) or subscales in the FECD group was evaluated using Spearman rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The average age was 65.8±11.9 and 60.1±7.9 years in the FECD and control groups, respectively. Corrected distance visual acuity was significantly lower in the FECD group (0.021±0.21 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) than in the control group (-0.61±0.055 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) ( P <
0.0001). Composite scores were significantly lower in the FECD group (77.6±11.0) than in the control group (89.2±7.0) ( P =0.0006). All subscale scores were lower in the FECD group, particularly for distance vision and mental health (81.4±13.1 and 84.0±15.6, respectively) than in the control group (90.7±12.0 and 95.7±5.7) ( P =0.022 and P =0.0046, respectively). Corrected distance visual acuity in the dominant eye did not significantly correlate with composite scores or subscales in the FECD group. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life is lower in patients with FECD than in healthy individuals, particularly regarding distance vision and mental health.