Abstract
Purpose :
Patients receiving a diagnosis of glaucoma may become mentally and emotionally stressed when they are informed of their condition. This can lead to symptoms like those experienced in common psychological conditions, such as depression. We conducted a quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate and quantify how glaucoma affects the psychosocial wellbeing of patients.
Methods :
A comprehensive literature search of databases, grey literature sources, and relevant conferences was conducted. Relevant non-interventional observational studies with outcome measures relating to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, or health-related quality of life were included in the qualitative synthesis. Studies selected for the preliminary qualitative synthesis were analyzed using the standard mean difference (SMD) of depression index scores and stratified by glaucoma type. A random-effects meta analysis was conducted using aggregate data from each study. Sources of heterogeneity were examined using the I-squared (I2) statistic.
Results :
57 records were included for systematic review, and ten publications were included for the preliminary data analysis. Meta-analysis results showed there is an elevation in depression and depressive symptoms for pseudoexfoliation (SMD = 0.7, 95% CI: [0.25, 1.14]) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (SMD = 1.77, 95% CI: [1.31, 2.24]). There was also an elevation of depression scores in glaucoma patients overall (SMD = 0.56, 95% CI: [0.10, 1.01]).
Conclusions :
Mild to moderate evidence of an elevation in the prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms was observed among glaucoma patients. Further research is required to make conclusions on causation.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.