Midlife is a “period of transition” in women’s lives during which they not only experience a multitude of symptoms related not only to physical health, but also mental health as they try to adjust to these changes. A new study, reported in the journal Menopause, has identified visual impairment as a risk factor for future depression in midlife women.

The study participants were sampled from the Michigan site of the Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN), which evaluated distance visual acuity at six consecutive, near-annual follow-up visits with simultaneous evaluation of symptoms of depression using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale. The scores ranged from 0-60; score ≥16 was suggestive of clinically relevant depressive symptoms. The study included 226 women with their age ranging from 42 to 52 years (mean age 50 years) with the aim to examine the impact of vision impairment on depression. Most women in the study group were perimenopausal. Visual impairment was categorized as mild (between 20/30 and 20/60) or moderate-severe (20/70 or worse).

Out of the total 226 women, 121 (53.5%) had mild visual impairment, 18 (~8%) had moderate-to-severe impairment, while 87 (38.4%) had no visual impairment. After adjusting for factors like age, pre-existing depressive symptoms, race, education, economic strain, body mass index and smoking, women with mild and moderate to severe visual impairment were found to have 68% and 2.55-fold higher odds of reporting symptoms of depression compared to women who had no visual impairment. Symptoms of depression were more common among women who were smokers and/or were in a precarious financial situation.

Several factors such as sleep problems, loneliness, comorbid medical conditions increase the risk of depression. This study has illustrated the association of visual impairment with increased risk of future depression in mid-life women as it negatively impacts quality of life.. They should undergo regular visual screening for timely detection of any visual impairment. Early intervention to correct the visual impairment may ward off symptoms of depression and help maintain positive mental health of women in this age group.

Reference

1. Karvonen-Gutierrez CA, et al. Longitudinal association of midlife vision impairment and depressive symptoms: the study of Womens Health Across the Nation, Michigan site. Menopause 2021 Oct 25. DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001880.