New research from investigators at Soochow University in China have found older adults with cataracts are more likely to have symptoms of depression.
The study reportedly examined questionnaires about depression from about 4,600 adults aged 60 years or older in one Chinese town. Participants also underwent a clinical eye exam to rate the presence and severity of cataracts — almost half of study participants had cataracts in at least one eye.
Based on the study results, researchers reportedly found symptoms of depression were 33 percent more likely when cataracts were present. The association between cataracts and depression was even stronger for subjects with no formal education with a 50 percent increase. And researchers found depression symptoms were more common in women than men, and more common in older age groups.
The study was recently published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science.
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Source: Wolters Kluwer Health