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Posted on Thu, Jul. 17, 2008


A link between poor eyesight & increased suicide risk?

By Sandy Bauers

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Visual impairment affects more than a person's eyesight. It can hinder daily activities, cause social isolation and increased dependence on others, lead to increased falls and fractures, and cause depression.

Now, researchers have concluded that it heightens a person's risk of suicide significantly - by as much as 18 percent.

Byron L. Lam of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine and his colleagues reviewed data from 137,479 participants of national health surveys conducted between 1986 and 1996.

During 11 years of follow-up, they identified 200 suicide deaths. Analyzing those, they found that while the visual impairment itself elevated a person's risk of suicide, the indirect health effects showed up as a much more significant risk factor.

The authors of the study, published in the July issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, said the results suggest that improved treatment of visual impairment could reduce suicide risks.

 

Contact staff writer Sandy Bauers at 215-854-5147 or sbauers@phillynews.com.

 

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