Association between visual impairment and depression in the elderly: a systematic review

Abstract

A systematic review was conducted to investigate the relationship between visual impairment and depression in the elderly. We searched electronic databases (LILACS, SciELO, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from inception to August 2014 and researched the described references. The search strategy used the following terms: (visual impairment or blindness) and (elderly) and (depression). Of the 641 electronics, 42 works were selected in full and another 20 were identified as being possibly relevant. Ten studies were included. The studies ranged in sample size from 31 to 21,995 participants. Depression was associated with visual impairment in all studies; however, without standardization of diagnostic tests, we could not conduct a meta-analysis or establish a relationship between visual impairment and depression in the elderly.

Experience of Anti-VEGF Treatment and Clinical Levels of Depression and Anxiety in Patients With Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

“…Patients in this study were on anti-VEGF therapy and the great majority of them had good visual acuity and did not have visual impairment according to the WHO's criteria (40). We still found that a percentage of wAMD patients are clinically depressed and anxious within the same prevalence range found in previous studies conducted with adults with visual impairment (53)(54)(55). Additionally, we rejected our hypothesis that depression and anxiety are negatively correlated with visual acuity, which is not consistent with some previous literature suggesting that patients with lower visual acuity are more likely to suffer from depression than patients with better visual acuity (29,30).…”

The association amongst visual, hearing, and dual sensory loss with depression and anxiety over 6 years: The Tromsø Study

“…To date, the majority of sensory loss and mental health literature has focused on VL and depression. Prior research consistently demonstrates that older adults with VL have an increased risk of depression . Possible mechanisms include a reduction in social activities and subsequent social isolation .…”

“…Prior research consistently demonstrates that older adults with VL have an increased risk of depression. [9][10][11][12][13] Possible mechanisms include a reduction in social activities and subsequent social isolation. 14,15 It has also previously been demonstrated that depression and worse mental health outcomes are observed in those with poorer mobility and physical health, [16][17][18] as well as being more common amongst women 17 and those who are less educated and unmarried or live alone.…”

Visual field impairment predicts recurrent stroke after acute posterior circulation stroke and transient ischemic attack

“…26 Afflicted patients have an increased risk of falling, difficulty in reading, depression, and higher levels of institutionalization. [27][28][29] VFI deters the ability of patients to participate in rehabilitation, resulting in a longer recovery period. Moreover, the presence of homonymous hemianopia is related to a poor survival.…”