Younger glaucoma patients may experience more anxiety

Increasing glaucoma severity and older age are risk factors for depression in glaucoma patients, a study found. However, if patients are younger, there is more risk for anxiety.

Researchers studied 318 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, 43 patients with exfoliation glaucoma, 32 patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma and 15 patients with secondary glaucoma. Mean age was 66.2 years, and 214 patients were women.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), with subscales of HADS-anxiety (HADS-A) and HADS-depression (HADS-D), was used in the study.

Older age and mean deviation of the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer 30-2 in the better eye were associated with the HADS-D subscore.

“Age had a negative correlation with the HADS-A subscore in patients with glaucoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show that younger glaucoma patients tend to be more anxious compared with older patients,” the study authors said.

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Source:

Br J Ophthalmol. 2012;96(6):821-825.