August: Glaucoma Patients’ Psychological Stress
Nearly 1 in 5 Glaucoma Patients Reports Significant Psychological Stress
Several psychosocial variables emerged as key predictors, including lower self-efficacy, weaker perceived social support and worse vision-related QoL.
Published August 12, 2026 • Glaucoma News
Living with glaucoma can take an emotional toll that clinical measures alone may not capture. New findings published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology suggest that social support and patients’ confidence in managing their health are independently associated with psychological distress among those with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), pointing to potentially modifiable factors that could be addressed alongside traditional disease management.
Researchers prospectively recruited 300 patients with POAG between 2022 and 2023. Participants completed validated questionnaires assessing psychological distress, self-efficacy, social support and vision-related quality of life, while clinical information was obtained from electronic health records. The cohort had a mean age of 68.4 years and 52% were women.
Overall, 18% of participants reported significant psychological distress. Initial analyses found that poorer vision-related quality of life, weaker social support and lower self-efficacy were each associated with greater distress. Younger age, female sex, lower socioeconomic indicators and several clinical measures were also significant predictors.
After accounting for other factors, self-efficacy and social support remained independently associated with psychological distress, along with younger age. These findings suggest that glaucoma patients’ emotional well-being may reflect a combination of strengths and vulnerabilities rather than any single characteristic.
“Psychosocial variables are significant and interrelated predictors of distress in POAG, beyond what is captured by traditional clinical metrics,” the study authors wrote in their paper. “These findings underscore the critical role of modifiable psychosocial factors in shaping patients’ emotional well-being,” they concluded, while proposing that “integrated care models to address psychosocial needs represents an important opportunity to mitigate distress and improve glaucoma outcomes.”
Photo: Michael Dorkowski, OD.