Hugarhagir sjónskertra og blindra

Abstract

The target group was all blind and visually impaired Icelanders (n= 167) aged 18-69 years registered by the Icelandic Low Vision Clinic and a sample (n= 100) aged 70-97 years. Information about visual status and eye diseases was used to categorize according to degree of visual impairment. The participants were interviewed about psychological and practical aspects of their lives. Variables concerning visual status were compared with various symptoms of mental and physical distress. Furthermore, cognitive and coping styles were examined. The chi-square was the main test of statistical significance. The results suggest that frequency of intrusive thoughts, crises, feelings of isolation and loneliness, increases with higher degree of visual impairment. That was partially so for depressive symptoms. The antecedents of visual impairment also play a role. Those who lost vision suddenly had more frequent symptoms of distress than those who were born with visual impairment or lost it gradually. A tendency to focus on the visual impairment as a cause of difficulties in other fields appeared to increase the risk of distress.