Tracking retina changes may help in schizophrenia management

Researchers at Rutgers University and Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary found specific abnormalities related to the eye in patients with schizophrenia, according to a release issued by the university.

Researchers examined 170 studies, as detailed in the release, and reported that schizophrenia patients demonstrated a thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer and a widening of small blood vessels.

They said that these abnormalities could account for issues such as hallucinations, visual acuity problems and vision changes. Additionally, the abnormalities could indicate disease progression as well as risk.

“Our analysis of many studies suggests that measuring retinal changes may help doctors in the future to adjust schizophrenia treatment for each patient,” Richard B. Rosen, MD, a co-author of the study and director of ophthalmology research at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, said in the release. “More studies are needed to drive the understanding of the contribution of retinal and other ocular pathology to disturbances seen in these patients, and our results will help guide future research.”

Results also indicated that there may be cellular differences in schizophrenia patients' eyes, as electroretinography measured irregular responses by retinal cells.

Rosen, who is also an ophthalmology professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in the release: “Because it is much faster and less expensive to obtain data on retinal structure and function, compared to brain structure and function, measures of retinal and ocular structure and function may have an important role in both future research studies and the routine clinical care of people with schizophrenia."