Anxiety and depression in inflammatory eye disease: exploring the potential impact of topical treatment frequency as a putative psychometric item

Purpose: To evaluate whether topical therapy is linked to scores related to anxiety, depression and quality of life (QoL) in inflammatory eye disease (IED). Methods: Ocular Surface Disease (OSD, N=100) and Uveitis (N=100) patients completed self-administered validated questions on ocular symptoms and wellbeing, with supplemental questions on eye drop frequency. Results: Forty (20%) patients had scores consistent with depression and 33 (17%) anxiety. Anxiety, depression, QoL and OSD index (OSDI) scores did not differ significantly between OSD and Uveitis groups. In those with anxiety or depression, QoL was significantly reduced in all World Health Organisation Quality Of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) domains (all p<0.001). Multivariable analysis considering demographic and disease-related factors found daily topical drop frequency to be independently associated with anxiety (p=0.009) but not depression (p=0.300). Conclusion: A high proportion of IED patients demonstrated scores indicative of anxiety and depression. Preliminary evidence suggests that the frequency of topical eye drops potentially plays a significant role in the psychological health status of IED patients.