Mental disorders on rise among visually impaired vets
British veterans with visual impairment suffer from high rates of mental disorder, according to researchers from King's College, London.
British veterans with visual impairment suffer from high rates of mental disorder, according to researchers from King's College, London.
Twenty-five percent show signs of anxiety, 10% show signs of depression and 10% show signs of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the researchers report in the
"It is important that clinicians, ophthalmologists, other health professionals as well as the (wider) family of the person affected are aware that the visual impairment has far reaching consequences and that they need to provide optimal support," they write.
Previous research has found an association between depression and visual impairment among civilians, and between physical impairment and mental disorders among soldiers. But few studies have examined the effects of visual impairment on mental health among soldiers.
Understanding the impact of eye injury on mental health
Between July 2004 and May 2008, 630 British service personnel who were deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan survived a major trauma, and 63 of these sustained an injury to the eye.
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