The impact of glaucoma on the mental health of primary open-angle glaucoma patients attending a teaching hospital in South East Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of glaucoma on the mental health of primary open-angle glaucoma patients using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based comparative study in which 180 glaucoma patients and controls 18 years and above who met the inclusion criteria were selected consecutively in the Eye Clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, in 2017. Data were collected using a questionnaire and the HADS protocol. All the participants underwent comprehensive ocular examination, and glaucoma was graded using visual field perimetric indices and mean deviation. Results: The mean age for cases was 58.14 ± 13.88 years, whereas that of the control group was 57.19 ± 13.76 years. The majority of glaucoma respondents had the moderate form of the disease followed by the severe form. The glaucoma patients showed evidence of poor mental health with 59 (32.8%) of them anxious and 39 (21.7%) depressed compared to controls ( P < 0.001). The mean scores for anxiety and depression were 6.02 ± 4.8 and 5.20 ± 4.5, respectively, for glaucoma patients, whereas those for the control group were 0.63 ± 1.8 and 0.64 ± 2.1, respectively ( P < 0.001). There was no uniform correlation between the mental health of patients and the variables under study. Conclusion: Primary open-angle glaucoma affects the mental health of patients. This effect is worsened by the severity of the disease and influenced by the occupation and educational level of the patients. Multidisciplinary management of primary open-angle glaucoma patients is recommended.

Mendelian randomization study shows no causal relationship between psychiatric disorders and glaucoma in European and East Asian populations

“…It is in harmony with the study of Lim et al (2016) , reporting higher depression and anxiety in females than in male glaucoma patients. While it is at variance with the report by Ubochi et al (2020) which revealed that males had higher depression and anxiety scores than females. As glaucoma and depression are known to be more common among female individuals, the ratio of female patients and the differences in methodology may interfere with the outcome ( El-Mogy et al, 2014 ).…”

“…It is in harmony with the study of Lim et al (2016), reporting higher depression and anxiety in females than in male glaucoma patients. While it is at variance with the report by Ubochi et al (2020) which revealed that males had higher depression Genetic causal associations between psychiatric disorders and glaucoma.…”

“…A prospective cohort study in the UK investigated the link between sleep behavior and pattern with the risk of glaucoma and found that individuals with insomnia had an excess risk of any glaucoma (Hazard ratio:1.13, 95% CI:1.06–1.20) ( Sun et al, 2022 ). A hospital-based comparative study that comprised 180 patients diagnosed with varying degrees of severity of POAG found that the glaucoma patients showed evidence of poor mental health with 39 (21.7%) of them depressed compared to controls ( p < 0.001) ( Ubochi et al, 2020 ). Liu et al observed that glaucoma suspect (OR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.01–3.49) and OAG (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.13–4.26) showed significant associations with schizophrenia ( Liu et al, 2020 ).…”

The Shadow of Blindness: The Impact of Blindness Anxiety on Quality of Life and Adherence in Glaucoma Patients

“…The impact extends to various aspects of life, including social interaction, independence, and daily functioning. The condition exacerbates feelings of uncertainty, vulnerability, and a diminished sense of independence, as highlighted by the Glaucoma Research Foundation 16 . This can lead to social isolation, with patients withdrawing from activities and interactions they previously enjoyed 17 .…”