Previous research studies have found depression in glaucoma patients to be prevalent. Most of these studies were cross-sectional studies, where participants were only being analyzed at one point in time. In a 2018 study, researchers dug deeper and conducted a cohort study, where a group of participants would be followed for years, and looked at risk factors that could contribute to depression.* Discover more about what the researchers found and what it may mean to you as a glaucoma patient. 

What they did

Using the Taiwan National Institute Database, researchers analyzed data from 43,885 participants from January 2001 to December 2011. Of the 43,885 participants, 8,888 were glaucoma patients and 35,108 were age- and gender-matched control subjects without glaucoma. 

The analysis compared:  

• Prevalence of depression between the two groups 
• Risk factors leading to depression among the glaucoma patients

What they found

Researchers found glaucoma participants had a significantly higher chance of developing depression in comparison to participants without glaucoma. 

Depression was diagnosed in:

• 5.9% of glaucoma participants
• 3.2% of participants without glaucoma

Within the glaucoma group, the risk factors associated with depression included:

• Older age
• Female gender
• Low income
• Substance abuse
• Live alone

What it means

From a clinical standpoint, doctors need to look for signs of depression and conduct screenings for depression among all glaucoma patients. If you are a glaucoma patient who thinks you may have depression, it is important to discuss this with your doctor. Over time, depression can worsen your quality-of-life and cause physical conditions, like glaucoma, to feel worse. Speaking about your feelings to a psychiatrist or trained mental health professional is an important step to combatting depression. 

*Chen, Y.-Y., Lai, Y.-J., Wang, J.-P., Shen, Y.-C., et al. (2018, June 22). The association between glaucoma and risk of depression: a nationwide population-based cohort study. BMC Ophthalmology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6013853/

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