Ophthalmic and psychiatric health: the overlooked connection between ocular diseases and mental disorders.
Ocular diseases and mental disorders represent major global public health challenges. Although prior studies have explored associations between ophthalmic conditions and psychiatric disorders, systematic investigations into their underlying mechanistic connections remain limited. This review synthesizes evidence from high-quality literature to delineate the bidirectional links between ophthalmic and psychiatric health. We first provide an epidemiological overview of their comorbidity, followed by an analysis of the mechanisms through which ocular diseases may induce or exacerbate mental disorders and, conversely, how psychiatric conditions may promote the onset and progression of ocular pathology. Furthermore, we discuss medication safety in the context of monotherapy for either condition, emphasizing cross-system adverse effects and their clinical implications. By systematically elucidating the bidirectional mechanisms linking ocular and psychiatric diseases, this review aims to improve the recognition and evaluation of their interactions in clinical practice and to provide a theoretical foundation for patient-centered, integrated management of ophthalmic-psychiatric comorbidities.