October 2022
Although mental and physical health are often viewed as being separate, they are closely related. Mental health plays a huge role in your overall well-being. Focusing on mental health can help us lower our chances of developing physical health conditions.
As a vision care provider, it is important to know how vision loss can affect mental health. Vision loss has been linked to loneliness, social isolation, and feelings of worry, anxiety and fear. In a recent study, 1 in 4 adults with vision loss reported anxiety or depression1. Younger adults with vision loss had almost 5 times the risk of serious anxiety or depression compared to adults 65 and older, possibly because they had not yet developed effective coping or self-management skills.
Untreated anxiety can increase the risk of developing depression. People who have vision loss should be screened for depression and anxiety. The sooner these problems are treated, the better their quality of life will be.
Learning how to understand mental health issues may be helpful in treating patients with vision impairments. Our Understanding Behavioral Health quick reference guide gives you a better understanding of the mental and physical health connection, while providing you with mental health resources to share with patients who may need help.