Alterations in visual function and retinal structure in patients with bipolar disorder.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Bipolar disorder is a complex mental health condition.
• Ocular structures may be affected in patients with bipolar disorder.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in visual function and retinal structure between bipolar disorder patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study compared 82 bipolar disorder patients (163 eyes) with 43 controls (86 eyes).
• Visual function was assessed using best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with high and low contrast charts.
• Retinal structure was analyzed using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), focusing on the nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL).

Main Results:

• Bipolar disorder patients exhibited significantly lower BCVA at high and low contrasts compared to controls (p < 0.05).
• OCT revealed significantly reduced mean RNFL and GCL thickness in bipolar disorder patients (p = 0.007).
• No significant differences in RNFL or GCL thickness were found between bipolar I and bipolar II disorder subtypes.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in visual function and retinal layer thickness exist between bipolar disorder patients and healthy individuals.
• RNFL and GCL thinning are potential structural correlates of visual function deficits in bipolar disorder.