An investigation of ophthalmic function in winter seasonal affective disorder

To evaluate the possibility that abnormalities in visual functioning may be of importance in winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD), we compared various ophthalmological function tests by drawing subsets of a group of 61 patients and 61 normal controls. We measured dark adaptation with a Goldmann-Weekers dark adept meter in winter and summer. In winter we also measured intraocular pressure with an applanation tonometer while ‘off’ and “on” light therapy, pupillary size by measuring pupillaryphotos, color vision with a Nagelanomaloscope and the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test, and determined b-wave components of pattern electroretinograms and P100 components of pattern visual evoked potentials. We found no significant differences between patients and controls. These observations have direct implications upon different theories linking SAD to abnormal ophthalmic junction. This body of work provides little evidence to link SAD to an intrinsic ophthalmic defect in the electrophysiological and neurological pathways studied. Depression 1:29–37 (1993). Published 1993 by Wiley-Liss, inc.