1. Contact: Kamran Rahmatnejad, MD
The Relationship Between Vision-Related Quality of Life Scores and Depression Symptoms in a Community-Based Glaucoma Screening Program
Kamran Rahmatnejad, MD; Avrey J. Thau, BS; Matthew E. Biron, BS; Eileen L. Mayro, BA; Deiana Johnson, MPH; Tingting Zhan, PhD
Paul M. Gentile, MPH; Michael Waisbourd, MD; Ann P. Murchison, MD, MPH; L. Jay Katz, MD; Scott J. Fudemberg, MD; Lisa A. Hark, PhD, RD
Wills Eye Hospital Glaucoma Research Center and Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Purpose
Results
Table 2. Geriatric Depression Scale-15 Scores
Mean ± SD P
Sex
0.876
Male (n = 90)
2.3 ± 2.7
Female (n = 178)
2.4 ± 2.8
Race/Ethnicity
< 0.001
Asian (n = 31)
4.3 ± 3.1
African American (n = 197)
2.2 ± 2.6
Caucasian (n = 31)
1.4 ± 2.0
Other (n = 9)
3.2 ± 3.2
Household
0.484
Lives Alone (n = 131)
2.3 ± 2.5
Lives With Someone (n = 135)
2.5 ± 3.0
Marital Status
0.343
Single (n = 202)
2.5 ± 2.9
Married (n = 66)
2.1 ± 2.4
Basic Expense Difficulties
0.017
No Difficulty At All
2.0 ± 2.3
Not Very Difficult
2.2 ± 3.0
Somewhat Difficult
2.5 ± 2.8
Very Difficult
3.8 ± 3.4
SD: standard deviation
To identify the prevalence and risk factors of depression among individuals with a glaucoma-related diagnosis enrolled in a community-based screening program.
The mean GDS-15 score was 2.4±2.7 with no significant difference between glaucoma and glaucoma suspect groups (P = 0.654).
Risk factors for depression included difficulties with paying expenses
(P = 0.017), Asian race (P < 0.001), and poorer scores on the NEI VFQ subscales of “General Health” (P < 0.001), “Distance Activities”
(P = 0.024), and Role “Dependency” (P = 0.001).
Methods
Individuals diagnosed with glaucoma or glaucoma suspect at a community-based screening program were consented and enrolled.
After collecting sociodemographic information, subjects were administered the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15).
Table 1. National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 Scores
All Participants
Glaucoma (n = 90)
Glaucoma Suspect (n = 178) P
Composite Score
78.5 ± 16.1
74.7 ± 19.7
80.4 ± 13.6
0.003
Subscales
General Health
49.8 ± 22.4
48.1 ± 21.3
50.7 ± 22.9
0.217
General Vision
68.7 ± 18.2
64.5 ± 20.0
70.8 ± 17.0
0.074
Ocular Pain
81.5 ± 21.1
79.2 ± 22.6
82.7 ± 20.3
0.141
Near Activities
81.5 ± 21.6
75.8 ± 26.7
84.4 ± 18.0
< 0.001
Distance Activities
85.7 ± 21.0
82.8 ± 24.5
87.1 ± 19.0
0.055
Social Functioning
91.5 ± 18.5
88.6 ± 24.5
92.9 ± 14.4
Mental Health
78.1 ± 23.5
72.1 ± 27.1
81.1 ± 20.8
0.001
Role Difficulties
80.8 ± 26.7
75.8 ± 29.8
83.3 ± 24.6
0.014
Dependency
89.3 ± 23.2
85.0 ± 28.2
91.5 ± 19.9
Driving
47.2 ± 45.1
48.3 ± 44.3
46.6 ± 45.6
0.237
Color Vision
94.6 ± 16.7
89.7 ± 25.0
97.0 ± 9.4
Peripheral Vision
85.8 ± 22.9
79.7 ± 27.3
88.9 ± 19.7
Values are presented as mean ± SD; SD: standard deviation.
P represents p-value of t-test between glaucoma and glaucoma suspect groups.
Results
Among the 268 participants, 90 (33%) were diagnosed as glaucoma and 178 (67%) as glaucoma suspect.
Participants were predominantly African American (73.5%), older than 65 (65.7%), single (75.4%), and female (66.8%).
The frequency of depression among the glaucoma and glaucoma suspect groups were 18% and 16.2%, respectively.
NEI VFQ-25 and GDS-15 scores are summarized in Tables 1 and 2, respectively.
Conclusions
Prevalence of depression in those diagnosed with glaucoma and glaucoma suspect is higher than the general population.
Future glaucoma screening projects would benefit from including a depression screening tool.
Contact: Kamran Rahmatnejad, MD