Introduction: Geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced stage of nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is associated with progressive central vision loss and blindness. While the association between GA and impaired vision-related quality of life has been established, understanding of the co-occurrence of anxiety and depression in individuals with GA is limited.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective, noninterventional, cohort study analyzing data from three large US databases (Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database [Clinformatics®], Merative™ MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Databases [MarketScan], and IQVIA US PharMetrics® [PharMetrics]), employing a common data model. Patients aged ≥ 50 years with a diagnosis of GA were included and were matched to patients without GA in a 1:2 ratio using propensity score matching to create a non-GA/AMD control population. Outcomes included time from GA diagnosis to first interaction with a health care provider for depression or anxiety and health care resource utilization (HCRU). Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated between GA and control cohorts with stratification by eye and subfoveal involvement.
Results: The Clinformatics®, MarketScan, and PharMetrics datasets included 44,595, 9468, and 27,427 patients with GA, respectively. Across databases, mean (SD) age ranged from 75.7 (8.3) to 80.5 (7.2) years, and 61% to 64% were female. Comorbid depression and anxiety risk were higher in patients with GA versus controls across datasets (depression RR [95% CI] 1.24 [1.13-1.35] to 1.36 [1.31-1.41]; anxiety RR [95% CI] 1.17 [1.06-1.30] to 1.33 [1.27-1.39]), with the greatest risk seen in those with bilateral GA with subfoveal involvement. HCRU was also significantly higher in patients with GA versus controls.
Conclusion: This study found a higher risk for comorbid depression or anxiety in patients with GA versus propensity score-matched controls. Risk was greatest among those with bilateral GA with subfoveal involvement. These findings highlight the important mental health burden experienced by patients with GA.
Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; Anxiety; Blindness; Depression; Geographic atrophy; Mental health; Visual impairment.
Geographic atrophy (GA) is a disease affecting vision in older people. GA stems from degeneration of part of the eye called the macula, making it difficult to see objects in the central vision. As a result, GA is one of the most common causes of blindness in older individuals. GA can develop in one (single) or both (bilateral) eyes and sometimes affects the subfoveal region of the eye (which is responsible for providing sharp vision). Studies have shown that GA negatively affects older individuals by limiting their mobility and independence, and vision loss is known to increase the risk of depression and anxiety. However, little is known about the impact of vision loss with GA on mental health. This study used patient data from three large US administrative claims datasets, using a common data model, to evaluate the risk of depression and anxiety in older patients (≥ 50 years of age) with GA. These individuals were compared with control patients who had similar characteristics, including age and health parameters, but did not have GA. The analysis found the risk of depression and anxiety was higher in patients with GA versus controls. The risk was highest in people who had GA in both eyes that involves the subfoveal regions. Patients with GA also had more visits to health care facilities, such as the hospital, emergency department, doctor’s office, and nursing homes, than controls. These findings suggest that mental health conditions may represent an additional burden of illness in patients with GA.
© 2025. The Author(s).