Objective: The authors sought to determine whether depression influences the measurement of visual acuity (VA) in older persons.
Methods: This was a prospective study, in a geriatric psychiatry inpatient unit. Participants were 32 older patients with major depression. Authors measured VA before and after treatment of major depression, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
Results: As depression resolved, there was no significant change in VA from admission to discharge. CES-D scores significantly declined from admission to discharge. VA was not correlated with depression severity (CES-D score) either at baseline or at discharge.
Conclusion: This study found no evidence that depression influenced VA testing in older adults. Additional studies in patients with major eye diseases are necessary to evaluate the generalizability of this finding.