Abstract
Purpose :
It is not well understood which ocular comorbidities pose the greatest risk for having a mental health condition and if there are differences across sex and racial demographics. This study evaluated the odds of having a mental health condition with an ocular condition with or without visual impairment across different demographics.
Methods :
A cross-sectional study was conducted using the TriNetX Analytics Network, a United States database consisting of over 87 million patients. ICD-10 codes were utilized to identify patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR), age related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), glaucoma, uveitis, visual impairment (low vision or blindness), and a mental health condition (depression, suicide attempt or ideation, or anxiety). Prevalence odds were stratified by sex and racial demographics. Statistical analyses were completed using RStudio and Excel and utilized 95% confidence intervals.
Results :
Among patients with no visual impairment, the prevalence odds ratios of every mental health condition were higher for patients with AMD compared to any other single ocular condition. The ocular condition with the highest prevalence of depression was DR (7.65%) and the highest prevalence of anxiety was observed among glaucoma patients (9.73%). Among patients with visual impairment, the prevalence of depression (16.50%) and anxiety (12.53%) was the highest among RVO patients compared to any other ocular condition. The highest prevalence of visual impairment was observed in white female patients with anxiety and AMD (17.47%). Male Hispanic patients with depression and RVO had the highest odds for visual impairment (POR 7.49; 95% CI 6.36, 16.7). Compared to white males, female Hispanic patients with RVO had the highest prevalence odds for anxiety (POR 7.06; 3.17, 11.72).
Conclusions :
The addition of visual impairment alongside an ocular condition yielded increased prevalence and prevalence odds of mental health conditions, specifically depression and anxiety. Male and female Hispanic patients with RVO are also disproportionately affected by depression and anxiety, respectively, compared to white males. These findings demonstrate which ocular conditions pose an increased risk for mental conditions and an increased need to screen minority patients who have increased prevalence odds for depression and anxiety.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.