Your Eyesight & Mental Health: Are They Related?

What do you think poor vision does to you?

Does it only impede your daily activities like reading or driving? Or does it have any other consequences?

Poor eyesight affects your life in many ways and declined mental health is one of them.

This is not an unsubstantiated claim. The mounting evidence of clinical depression in people suffering from visual impairment has suggested this theory.

People with low vision are twice as likely to develop emotional problems like depression and anxiety.

20/20 vision is something that we all take for granted. We only realise it’s true worth when we lose it. Your worsening vision not only takes a toll on your physical health but your mental health as well.

Vision and well-being

Eye diseases are not subjective to age. Visual impairment is often linked with depression and anxiety. It is more common in the case of severe vision loss. Four common factors leading to a complete vision are:

• Cataract
• Glaucoma
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy

People with these conditions experience mild to severe vision loss. This can make day-to-day activities like driving, watching TV, and reading a book a difficult experience.

Where all of these conditions except cataract are associated with emotional problems, one may also develop them due to financial issues, personal life problems or reduced quality of life.

Here are some ways that your poor vision will hamper your mental state.

Depression

Vision loss or poor visual acuity remain one of the primary factors behind depressive symptoms in older adults. Also, people waiting for their cataract surgery are far more likely to go through depression than the general population.

Those with poor vision often feel isolated due to their limited social interaction. Also, they become too dependent on the people around them which adds to the psychological distress.

Low vision makes it difficult for the person to take part in the activities they enjoy the most like reading or watching TV. When this happens, the feeling of isolation can take over even the most optimistic of people.

Social withdrawal

It is hard to interact with people when you can’t see their faces, isn’t it?

This is why people with vision problems feel isolated even in a room full of people. The reduced interaction often leads to stress and anxiety.

In some cases, they may even feel not being treated equally which is one of the reasons behind their social withdrawal.

So, if someone in your family with visual impairment decides to hold back from social gatherings, don’t take this negatively. Instead, show them your support so they don’t feel isolated.

Delay of cognitive responses

People suffering from age-related eye diseases like cataract or glaucoma have lower cognitive scores.

Our brain makes sense of the world around us by combining what we see with our working memory. But, when our vision declines, the brain becomes ineffective in creating a clear visual perception and leads to impaired cognition.

Delay in the visual processing is an inevitable part of ageing. With low visual acuity, our brain takes more time to detect the visual target. For instance, it will take us longer to find a book on the table or read a menu card.

However, the use of medical devices like eyeglasses can improve the visual acuity and bring the cognitive functions back to normal. Many people with visual deficits buy prescription glasses online to compensate for it.

Anxiety

Symptoms of anxiety disorders are found to be more common in people with visual impairment.

Eye diseases increase the chances of social withdrawal, isolation and stress. Progressive loss of vision is linked with syndrome of hallucinations where the patient starts to see things that are not even real.

Although benign, this syndrome can be quite disturbing. Leading to psychological distress, vision impairment is associated with mood disorders and frequent emotional or behavioral responses.

Vision problems: How to cope up?

The most effective way to cope up with declined vision is awareness. Know the symptoms and pay attention to yours to spot any signs of diminishing visual acuity before it gets too late.

Vision problems can invite an unstable mental health if one doesn’t get the emotional support. You can play an important role in the lives of people with visual difficulties.

Fortunately, many vision problems are treatable with vision correction devices. But, the changes in your vision can be difficult to point out. This is why you must consider having an eye test once every year.

Glasses for vision correction

Glasses are a comfortable and painless way to make up for your low vision. Whether your low visual acuity is due to an eye disease or a refractive error, glasses come with different prescriptions to make up for it.

If you have been experiencing changes in your eyesight, don’t let them go neglected. Contact an eye doctor or optometrist to know what exactly is causing the trouble. They will conduct a thorough examination of your eyes and recommend you an eye prescription.

You can take this prescription to an optician or buy your glasses online to save money on the purchase.

Your visual health defines your mental well-being. Make sure you don’t take it for granted.