Persistent blue light deprivation ups risk of depressive disorders

Individuals with blue light-filtering (BLF) intraocular lenses (IOLs) appear to have a higher risk of depressive disorders than those with clear IOLs, reveals a study.

A total of 14,010 individuals (mean age 71.4 years, 35.5 percent men) who underwent cataract removal and IOL implantation in both eyes within 1 year between January 2012 and December 2018 were included in this population-based cohort analysis. Participants were divided into two: clear IOL or BLF IOL groups. Participants were age- and sex-matched to 14,010 individuals with clear IOLs in both eyes.

The authors searched the National Health Insurance Sharing Service of South Korea database for new diagnoses of depressive disorders. They carried out their observations from 1 January 2008 through 31 December 2022.

The incidence rate of depressive disorders was higher in the BLF IOL group than the clear IOL group (27.8 vs 24.1 per 1,000 person-years). Moreover, the risk of depressive disorders rose by 1.16 times (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.09‒1.23; p<0.001) among individuals with BLF IOLs compared with those with clear IOLs following adjustments for systemic comorbidities and follow-up duration.

A significantly high risk of depressive disorders was observed among individuals with BLF IOLs aged 50‒64 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30, 95 percent CI, 1.14‒1.48; p<0.001) and women (HR, 1.17, 95 percent CI, 1.09‒1.25; p<0.001). These trends persisted in sensitivity and unmatched cohort analyses.

“In the long term, persistent blue light deprivation may increase risks of depression, and particular age cohorts and women may be more vulnerable to the light deprivation than others,” the authors said.