Blindness Linked to Higher Loneliness Scores

Analysis of more than 61,000 patients found higher odds of elevated loneliness scores among those reporting blindness and those with diabetic retinopathy, but not among patients with glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration.

By
Andrea Surnit
June 28, 2026
4 min

MDSpire News

At a Glance

Category	Detail
Condition	Ocular Conditions
Key Mechanisms	Self-reported blindness and diabetic retinopathy associated with higher loneliness scores.
Target Population	Patients with diagnosed ocular conditions, primarily aged 60 years.
Care Setting	Cross-sectional analysis in a diverse cohort.

Key Highlights

Self-reported blindness had 1.61 times the odds of high loneliness scores.
Diabetic retinopathy showed a smaller association with loneliness.
Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy remained associated with high loneliness scores after adjustments.
No association found between glaucoma diagnoses and high loneliness scores.
Study could not establish causality due to cross-sectional design.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

Assess loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale.

Management

Further studies needed to explore interventions for loneliness in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Monitoring & Follow-up

Consider monitoring loneliness in patients with self-reported blindness and diabetic retinopathy.

Risks

Potential selection bias and limited generalizability due to cohort demographics.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Patients with diagnosed ocular conditions, including diabetic retinopathy.

No specific treatment recommendations provided; further research required.

Clinical Best Practices

Utilize structured assessments for visual impairment rather than self-report.
Consider the systemic health outcomes of diabetes in managing diabetic retinopathy.