Sight loss is associated with worsening depressive and anxiety symptoms among older adults: evidence from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing

Introduction Sight loss is associated with adverse mental health conditions among aging populations. The extent of which sight loss worsens depression or anxiety in those with existing or at an elevated risk is unknown. This study aims to examine whether sight loss prospectively predicts progression/worsening of depression and anxiety.Methods A longitudinal secondary analysis of The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) was conducted. Outcomes for anxiety and depression were measured through the self-reported Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression-Anxiety subscale. Multivariable regression and lagged multilevel regression examined associations between self-reported sight loss and depression and anxiety.Results Depression symptoms mean ranged from 2.2 (±3.2) for those with excellent eyesight to 5.9 (±5.4) for those with poor/legally blind in Wave 1, with similar increases observed across all six waves. Adjusted lagged regression analyzes demonstrated that sight loss independently predicted worsening depressive symptoms (poor eyesight: β = 0.44, 95%CI 0.11–0.78) and anxiety scores (poor eyesight: β = 0.36, 95%CI 0.02–0.70) at subsequent waves.Conclusion Sight loss prospectively worsens depression and anxiety symptoms, independent of prior symptom severity. Integrating proactive psychological assessment and continuous support, is essential to reduce worsening depression and anxiety.