title: Minimal depression and vision function in age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of minimal depression on subjective and objective vision function measures in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred six outpatients with newly diagnosed neovascular AMD in one eye and preexisting AMD in the fellow eye.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured clinical evaluations of visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity, vision function, and depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 17-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ 17), Melbourne Low-Vision Index (MLVI), Chronic Disease Score, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Minimally depressed subjects had significantly worse vision function on both the NEI VFQ 17 and performance-based tasks of the MLVI than nondepressed subjects, independent of severity of VA, contrast sensitivity, and medical status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimally depressed patients with AMD, who would not be considered depressed according to current diagnostic standards, suffer decrements in vision function that cannot be accounted for by the severity of their eye disease or general medical problems. These data emphasize the need to assess depressive symptoms in research studies that use vision function outcome measures and in clinical practice to identify excess vision-related disability in patients with AMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. barry.rovner@jefferson.edu
authors.forename: Barry W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Rovner
authors.forename: Robin J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Casten
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hegel
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Tasman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*