Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent vision loss worldwide and has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life. Vision impairment is strongly associated with several psychiatric disorders, like depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. These psychiatric issues are often exacerbated b...

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Main Authors: Jeniffer Jesus, João Ambrósio, Dália Meira, Ignácio Rodriguez-Uña, João Melo Beirão
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Biomedicines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/1/116
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author Jeniffer Jesus
João Ambrósio
Dália Meira
Ignácio Rodriguez-Uña
João Melo Beirão
author_facet Jeniffer Jesus
João Ambrósio
Dália Meira
Ignácio Rodriguez-Uña
João Melo Beirão
author_sort Jeniffer Jesus
collection DOAJ
description Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent vision loss worldwide and has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life. Vision impairment is strongly associated with several psychiatric disorders, like depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. These psychiatric issues are often exacerbated by the gradual, irreversible, and typically silent progression of the disease, contributing to increased mental health challenges for affected individuals. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines across six different databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library) and one gray literature source (Google Scholar), covering the period from 2013 to 2024. Twenty-nine studies involving a total of 13,326,845 subjects were included in the synthesis, highlighting a considerable prevalence of psychiatric disorders among glaucoma patients. Depression and anxiety were the most common conditions identified, with depression rates ranging from 6.6% to 57% and anxiety from 12.11% to 49%. Other less frequent but still significant conditions like sleep disorders, psychosis, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorder were also observed. The findings also indicated that psychiatric severity was influenced by socio-demographic factors, glaucoma severity, and treatment duration. Given the high occurrence of psychiatric pathologies among individuals with glaucoma, it is essential to develop comprehensive care strategies that address both eye and mental health needs. Multidisciplinary collaboration among ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and primary care physicians is crucial for developing personalized treatment plans that effectively manage both the ocular and psychological aspects of the disease.
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spelling doaj-art-a27921e1bbf540d9b592cf0c3869506d2025-01-24T13:24:04ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-01-0113111610.3390/biomedicines13010116Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma PatientsJeniffer Jesus0João Ambrósio1Dália Meira2Ignácio Rodriguez-Uña3João Melo Beirão4Unidade Local de Saúde de Entre o Douro e Vouga, 4520-211 Santa Maria da Feira, PortugalUnidade Local de Saúde de Entre o Douro e Vouga, 4520-211 Santa Maria da Feira, PortugalUnidade Local de Saúde de Gaia e Espinho, 4434-502 Vila Nova de Gaia, PortugalInstituto Oftalmológico Fernández-Vega, 33012 Oviedo, SpainUnidade Local de Saúde de Santo António, 4099-001 Porto, PortugalGlaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent vision loss worldwide and has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life. Vision impairment is strongly associated with several psychiatric disorders, like depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. These psychiatric issues are often exacerbated by the gradual, irreversible, and typically silent progression of the disease, contributing to increased mental health challenges for affected individuals. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines across six different databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library) and one gray literature source (Google Scholar), covering the period from 2013 to 2024. Twenty-nine studies involving a total of 13,326,845 subjects were included in the synthesis, highlighting a considerable prevalence of psychiatric disorders among glaucoma patients. Depression and anxiety were the most common conditions identified, with depression rates ranging from 6.6% to 57% and anxiety from 12.11% to 49%. Other less frequent but still significant conditions like sleep disorders, psychosis, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorder were also observed. The findings also indicated that psychiatric severity was influenced by socio-demographic factors, glaucoma severity, and treatment duration. Given the high occurrence of psychiatric pathologies among individuals with glaucoma, it is essential to develop comprehensive care strategies that address both eye and mental health needs. Multidisciplinary collaboration among ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and primary care physicians is crucial for developing personalized treatment plans that effectively manage both the ocular and psychological aspects of the disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/1/116glaucomaanxietyvision impairmentdepressionpsychiatric burdenmind
spellingShingle Jeniffer Jesus
João Ambrósio
Dália Meira
Ignácio Rodriguez-Uña
João Melo Beirão
Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
Biomedicines
glaucoma
anxiety
vision impairment
depression
psychiatric burden
mind
title Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
title_full Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
title_fullStr Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
title_full_unstemmed Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
title_short Blinded by the Mind: Exploring the Hidden Psychiatric Burden in Glaucoma Patients
title_sort blinded by the mind exploring the hidden psychiatric burden in glaucoma patients
topic glaucoma
anxiety
vision impairment
depression
psychiatric burden
mind
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/1/116
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