Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients that underwent surgery for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and to determine variables associated with the disorder.
Methods: :
We approached 547 patients with a previous primary RRD, of which 363 (mean age 58 ± 15 years, 64% were men) were enrolled in the study. PTSD was assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) was used as a measure of vision-related quality of life. Objective clinical measures were obtained from the patient's medical records. Psychological and ophthalmological variables were compared between PTSD diagnosed patients and a subset of PTSD-negative patients, who served as controls.
Results: :
Nine patients (2.5%) met the criteria for PTSD diagnosis and 9 PTSD-negative patients were randomly assigned to the control group. PTSD patients reported of significantly more traumatic events in their past (P=0.002) and for these patients NEI-VFQ-25 composite score was significantly lower (P<0.001). Clinical measures were not found as independent risk factors for PTSD prediction.
Conclusions: :
PTSD may develop in the aftermath of primary RRD. Previous traumatic events and NEI-VFQ-25 scores, in contrast to objective measures, were found as independent risk factors for PTSD prediction.
Clinical Trial: :
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01233908
Keywords: retina • retinal detachment