[Kok! Health] Glaucoma Increases Psychological Impact... Higher Risk of Extreme Choices

A study has found that being diagnosed with the so-called 'three major blindness diseases'?glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and exudative macular degeneration?may increase the risk of suicide. Patients suffering from these diseases may have a 1.33 times higher risk of suicide, with the risk being five times higher particularly during 3 to 6 months after the initial diagnosis.

[Photo by Getty Images Bank]

Professor Kim Young-guk’s ophthalmology team at Seoul National University Hospital recently announced the results of an analysis on the suicide risk of patients diagnosed with the three major blindness diseases between 2010 and 2020, using data from the National Health Insurance Service and Statistics Korea.

Glaucoma is a disease characterized by progressive damage to the optic nerve and has a high prevalence of over one million people in South Korea. Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where retinal capillaries exposed to high blood sugar become blocked or rupture. Macular degeneration is a disease that damages the macula, the part of the retina concentrated with photoreceptors, and the number of patients has been steadily increasing due to population aging. These diseases are difficult to detect in their early stages, and missing the treatment window can lead to the risk of blindness.

Although previous studies have analyzed the association between visual impairment and suicide risk, there had been no direct research linking suicide risk specifically to patients with major eye diseases. Therefore, Professor Kim Young-guk’s research team adjusted for various background variables such as gender, age, income level, and residential area of patients diagnosed with the three major blindness diseases, and calculated and compared the suicide risk for each disease.

The analysis showed that among 2.8 million observed individuals from 2010 to 2020, 13,205 died by suicide, and 34% (4,514 people) of them had a history of being diagnosed with sight-threatening eye diseases (STED). Specifically, among the diseases, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and exudative age-related macular degeneration accounted for 48%, 57%, and 9%, respectively.

The age-specific suicide mortality rate among patients with the three major blindness diseases showed a steady increase with age in glaucoma cases. For diabetic retinopathy, the rate slightly decreased between ages 50 and 70 but then continued to rise, while macular degeneration showed the highest suicide mortality rate in the late 80s.

Distribution of suicide rates per 100,000 people by age for the three major blindness-causing diseases: glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and exudative macular degeneration [Data provided by Seoul National University Hospital]

In particular, patients suffering from one or more blindness diseases had a 1.33 times increased risk of suicide. The suicide risk for patients with glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and exudative age-related macular degeneration increased by 1.09 times, 1.4 times, and 1.2 times, respectively. Additionally, the suicide risk rose further to 1.49 times for patients with the three major blindness diseases who developed low vision, and the risk was highest?five times greater?during 3 to 6 months after the initial diagnosis of blindness disease.

The research team explained that these findings demonstrate that patients diagnosed with major sight-threatening eye diseases, especially the three major blindness diseases, have a higher risk of suicide compared to undiagnosed groups, and that this risk increases with age and worsening vision.

Professor Kim Young-guk, Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University Hospital
Photo by Seoul National University Hospital

Professor Kim Young-guk stated, “As primary care physicians, ophthalmologists have a responsibility to understand and manage the stress levels of patients with eye diseases,” adding, “Major blindness diseases have a significant psychological impact on patients, so active interest and support from family members and society are necessary.”

Meanwhile, this research was published online in the latest issue of ‘Ophthalmology’ (IF=14.277), the most prestigious journal in the field of ophthalmology.

※ If you or someone around you is experiencing difficult feelings such as depression or other hard-to-talk-about concerns, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎1393, Mental Health Counseling ☎1577-0199, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, Youth Hotline ☎1388, the youth mobile counseling app ‘Da Deureojul Gae,’ KakaoTalk, and other platforms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.