Older age linked to depression risk in glaucoma patients

Older glaucoma patients are more at risk of developing depression, whereas younger patients are more at risk of anxiety, according to a paper in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

The stepwise linear regression analysis, led by Dr Fumihiko Mabuchi, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Japan, included 208 glaucomatous patients. Each participant was evaluated using the hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) questionnaire split into two subscales- the HADS-anxiety (HADS-A) and HADS-depression (HADS-D).

For both HADS-A and HADS-D the regression analysis revealed that age was a significant related factor. The correlation between age and HADS-A was proven by the results of the multiple linear regression analysis.

Overall, younger glaucoma patients were more likely to suffer from anxiety, whereas older glaucoma patients were more at risk of depression.