Diagnosis of conditions leading to vision loss can be devastating and often impacts
mental health. Understanding this allows us to consider what provisions might help
those who are impacted. We undertook 18 semi-structured interviews with patients
diagnosed with eye disease leading to vision loss to explore its psychological impact.
Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), providing a snapshot of
their depression and anxiety levels at the time of interview. NVivo-12 software (QSR
International Ltd, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA) was used to inductively analyse and
code data to identify themes related to the psychological impact. Participants had a
mean BDI score of 9.6, and thematic analysis generated five key themes and associated
subthemes. Coming to terms with the diagnosis included discussion of subthemes of
“denial” and moving towards “acceptance”. Effects on mental health included
depression/low mood, anxiety, and stress-related worsening of vision. Loss included
various losses following initial loss of vision. Effects on identity included facing a
curtailed life, worry that visual impairment might define a person’s identity, and feelings
of frustration with their own loss of function and with others’ reactions to their
disability. The future included thoughts about long-term consquences, both negative and
positive (e.g., maximising experiences given the vision one has left). Although such a
diagnosis will nearly always have a psychological impact and require work to move
toward acceptance, support could mitigate impact on mental health, such as practical
support (e.g. advice on low vision aids), and psychological support
