Treatment of depression associated with age-related macular degeneration: a double-blind, randomized, controlled...

Depression is frequently found in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of escitalopram in treating major and minor depression in AMD patients.

We conducted a crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 16-week study comparing escitalopram with placebo. Inclusion criteria included reduced vision from AMD and major or minor depression, with a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) score of ≥10. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either escitalopram or placebo for 8 weeks and then crossed over to the other treatment. The primary outcome was change on the total HAMD-17 score with escitalopram treatment compared with placebo.

We enrolled 16 AMD patients (mean age 79.1), 12 with major depression and 4 with minor depression. Mean HAMD-17 score at enrollment was 16.1 ± 4.2, and mean visual acuity in the better eye was 20/70. During escitalopram treatment, participants showed a significant reduction in HAMD-17 scores compared with placebo treatment (P = .01).

These findings suggest escitalopram may be an effective treatment for depressive symptoms associated with major or minor depression in AMD patients with vision loss.