title: Eyeglasses and schizophrenic spectrum disease.
abstract: In an attempt to understand the mystery of schizophrenia, researchers have often studied the eyes of schizophrenic patients. These investigations have included ophthalmological descriptions of the pupil and the disc, electrophysiological research into eye movements, and clinical phenomenological data concerning the bizarre symbolic significance that schizophrenics attach to eyes. This paper attempts to describe how patients who fit the broader definition of schizophrenic spectrum disorder use or misuse eyeglasses, especially in the clinical setting. These patients may lose or break their glasses and not replace them, they may refuse to wear them, or they may simply forget that they wear glasses altogether. The author explores this phenomenon through the study of four case reports and proposes a hypothesis to explain the meaning of this behavior. Its application to clinical treatment is then discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012929:Psychological Distance; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology