Depression Among Keratoconus Patients in Saudi Arabia

Background Depression is a highly prevalent disorder globally and locally in Saudi Arabia. Individuals with chronic conditions are more liable to develop depression. Keratoconus is a chronic progressive corneal disorder that markedly affects the vision and quality of life, making its sufferers liable to developing depression. Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted using 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to screen for depression among adults aged between 18 and 60 years old only. The participants in this study are patients who have been previously diagnosed with keratoconus by their ophthalmologists. The structured questionnaire was distributed using Google Forms through various social media platforms. After extracting the data, it was revised, coded and then analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results A total of 330 keratoconus patients living in Saudi Arabia were recruited in this study. The modal age group was 31-40 years old (44.5%), and the male to female ratio was 3:2. The most frequently reported concurrent eye diseases of the patients were astigmatism (48.5%) and myopia (36.7%). The prevalence of depression among patients with keratoconus was 40.6% (n = 134). The use of corrective contact lens (includes both: hybrid and rigid lens) in both eyes contributed to a significantly higher depression rate among its wearers compared to users in one eye and non-users (p<0.001). Conclusion Depression is highly prevalent among keratoconus patients. This is especially true among corrective contact lens wearers of both eyes. Keratoconus is associated with depression regardless of disease severity and socio-demographic characteristics.