rss
Br J Ophthalmol 2008;92:650-654 doi:10.1136/bjo.2007.127092
  • Clinical science
  • Original Article

Depression and the vision-related quality of life in patients with retinitis pigmentosa

  1. B-J Hahm1,2,
  2. Y-W Shin1,
  3. E-J Shim2,
  4. H J Jeon1,
  5. J-M Seo3,
  6. H Chung3,
  7. H G Yu3,4
  1. 1
    Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
  2. 2
    Institute of Behavioral Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
  3. 3
    Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  4. 4
    Sensory Organ Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
  1. Professor H G Yu, Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul, Korea 110-744; hgonyu{at}snu.ac.kr
  • Accepted 6 February 2008
  • Published Online First 20 March 2008

Abstract

Aims: To assess the relationship between depression and the vision-related quality of life in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Methods: The study included 144 patients diagnosed as having RP. The mean age of the patients was 38.5 (SD 13.3) years, and 42% of the subjects were women. They answered the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) to assess the vision-related quality of life and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to assess depressive symptoms. Patients were classified into groups with and without depression according to the BDI score. The NEI-VFQ composite and subscale scores were compared between groups. The correlations between the BDI and the NEI-VFQ, weighted visual acuity (WVA) and functional vision score (FVS) were investigated.

Results: The depressed group had significantly less subjective visual function compared with the non-depressed group. A negative correlation was observed between the BDI and the NEI-VFQ scores, while no correlation was found between the BDI score and WVA or FVS.

Conclusion: The RP patients with depression had poorer vision-related functions compared with those patients without depression, which cannot be explained by the visual acuity. Interventions to diagnose and treat depression are necessary to enhance the overall quality of life in RP patients.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Patient consent: All subjects signed an informed consent form approved by the institutional review board.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. bjo.2007.127092v1
    2. 92/5/650 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.