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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 4, 2025

VisualEyes: A Modular Software System for Oculomotor Experimentation
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Eyes, the window on psychosis?

Natalie Shoham1, Claudia Cooper1

  • 1Division of Psychiatry, University College London (UCL), UK; and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK.

Bjpsych Open
|February 10, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Congenital blindness and perfect vision may protect against schizophrenia, but evidence is lacking. Shared origins between ocular issues and schizophrenia are proposed, with the retina offering insights into brain pathology.

Keywords:
Visual impairmentcongenital blindnesspsychosisschizophreniavisual acuity

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ophthalmology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Theories suggest congenital blindness may protect against schizophrenia, though empirical evidence is scarce.
  • A bell-shaped distribution of visual ability in relation to schizophrenia has been proposed, positing protective effects for both absent and perfect vision.
  • Shared etiological factors between ocular aberrations and schizophrenia are hypothesized, given the retina's nature as an embryological extension of the brain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the complex relationship between visual function and schizophrenia.
  • To investigate the potential of retinal imaging for understanding schizophrenia-associated neuropathology.
  • To examine whether psychosis may contribute to visual impairment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing theories and proposed associations between vision and schizophrenia.
  • Discussion of the retina as a potential window into central nervous system pathology relevant to schizophrenia.
  • Consideration of factors contributing to visual impairment in individuals with psychotic disorders.

Main Results:

  • Proof for the protective effect of congenital blindness against schizophrenia remains elusive.
  • The association between visual ability and schizophrenia may follow a non-linear (bell-shaped) distribution.
  • The retina's accessibility for imaging presents opportunities for studying schizophrenia neuropathology.

Conclusions:

  • The link between congenital blindness and schizophrenia requires further investigation.
  • Shared neurobiological pathways may underlie both ocular conditions and schizophrenia.
  • Retinal imaging could offer novel insights into the neuropathology of schizophrenia and its potential impact on vision.