Visual impairment in persons with psychotic disorder.
BACKGROUND
Persons with psychotic disorder may have poorer visual acuity (VA). The aim of the study is to investigate in a general population the prevalence of impaired habitual VA and self-reported difficulties in vision among persons with different psychotic disorders.


METHODS
A nationally representative sample of 6,663 persons aged 30 or older whose binocular VA for distance and for near vision was measured with current spectacles, if any. Diagnostic assessment of DSM-IV psychotic disorders used both SCID interview and case note data. Life-time ever diagnoses of psychotic disorders were classified into schizophrenia, other non-affective psychotic disorders and affective psychoses.


RESULTS
After adjusting for age and sex, schizophrenia was associated with significantly increased odds of having visual impairment for distance (OR 5.04, P < 0.0001) and for near vision (OR 6.22, P < 0.0001), while other psychotic disorders were not. Self-reported problems in VA were more common in persons with schizophrenia and other non-affective psychotic disorders than in the remaining study sample. Only 43.9% of persons with schizophrenia, compared with 69.7% in the total sample (chi(2) = 13.79, d.f. 1, P = 0.0002), had had their vision examined during the 5 years before the VA measurement.


CONCLUSIONS
Because persons with schizophrenia attend vision examinations substantially less frequently than others, and their vision is notably weaker, regular ocular evaluations should be included in physical health monitoring in psychotic disorders.
Viertiö
Satu
S
Dept. of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300, Helsinki, Finland. satu.viertio@ktl.fi
Laitinen
Arja
A
Perälä
Jonna
J
Saarni
Samuli I
SI
Koskinen
Seppo
S
Lönnqvist
Jouko
J
Suvisaari
Jaana
J
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015351:Vision Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014792:Visual Acuity
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents