When eye disease affects the mind: Psychological burden and functioning in autoimmune ophthalmology

Table 1 Demographic, systemic, and ophthalmic characteristics of the study population, with corresponding psychological profiles

ID	Age	Main systemic pathologies	Eye pathology	Dry eye	Brief psychological profile	HADS A/D	SF-12 PCS/MCS	Psychological judgment
P01	41	Scleroderma; endometriosis	-	No	High anxiety, depressed mood, severe work-related stress; clinically relevant symptoms	16/15	25/24	Recommended psychological path
P02	47	Granulomatosis	-	No	Initial low mood, anger/sadness, then improved coping; non-clinical anxiety/depression	5/2	37/49	No urgent indications
P03	52	Sjögren’s syndrome	Ocular involvement compatible with DED	Yes	Previous anxiety/depression (episodes in youth); currently compensated; aesthetic factors (alopecia) as triggers	6/7	52.4/60.6	No urgency, possible support
P04	50	Scleroderma	-	No	Mild anxiety; experience of “invisible” illness; impact on work	5/2	35/53	Monitoring, not urgent
P05	79	Familiarity with retinitis pigmentosa	Retinitis pigmentosa	No	Mood swings, anxious-depressive episodes in the past; currently compensated	6/6	49/58	No current indications
P06	24	Psoriatic arthritis	-	No	Difficulty in talking about oneself; marked subjective suffering; anxiety/depression in the risk range	12/10	26/40	Psychological counseling (individual or group) recommended
P07	64	Rheumatoid arthritis; Sjögren’s syndrome; dry eye story	Dry eye	Yes	Mood swings; recalls past events with emotional charge; anxiety/depression at risk	6/7	42/50	Monitoring, possible support
P08	55	Undifferentiated progressive connective tissue disease; dry eye	Dry eye	Yes	Recent episode of job burnout; emotional instability; mild anxiety, at-risk depression	4/10	34/31	Psychological support recommended
P09	26	Multiple sclerosis; psoriatic arthritis	-	No	Moderate anxiety; mild depression; impact of pregnancy and physical conditions	4/2	24/58	Monitoring, possible support
P10	51	Psoriatic arthritis	Optic neuropathy	No	Mild anxiety/depression; severe work stress (nurse); family conflicts	5/3	19/51	Possible support, not urgent
P11	67	Rheumatoid arthritis for 12 years; Raynaud’s phenomenon	Dry eye	Yes	Very severe chronic pain; perception of poor treatment effectiveness; significant anxiety and depression	13/7	38/28	Recommended supportive psychotherapy path
P12	85	Multiple sclerosis; rheumatoid arthritis; Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy	Leber’s neuropathy	No	Mood swings, tearfulness, feelings of guilt/inadequacy; significant anxiety/depression	11/12	52/27	A thorough psychological evaluation is recommended
P13	56	Suspected rare disease (under definition)	Recurrent dry eye	Yes	Controlling personality structure; anxiety at risk; no depression; progressive emotional openness	8/1	44/46	Suggested support for managing anxiety and diagnostic uncertainty
P14	58	Cicatricial pemphigoid	Corneal complications (perforation)	Yes	Marked anxiety, fear of complications; depression in the risk range	14/9	36/32	Psychological/psychotherapeutic evaluation recommended
P15	48	Rheumatoid arthritis (recent); mother with the same pathology	-	No	Severely emotionally affected; full-blown anxiety, at risk of depression	12/9	26/32	Recommended start of psychological path
P16	47	Suspected mixed connective tissue disease	-	No	Chronic suffering, daily fatigue, clinical anxiety, mild depression	14/9	29/45	Psychological support recommended
P17	56	Suspected rheumatoid arthritis; previous leukemia	-	No	Marked mood swings, feelings of discouragement and “depression”; high anxiety/depression; possible eating disorder	15/12	24/29	Psychiatric/psychological further investigation indicated
P18	69	Lupus/connective tissue disease; myopic retinopathy	Myopic retinopathy	No	Initial crisis at diagnosis; current good acceptance; moderate anxiety, mild depression	11/8	52/30	Psychological evaluation recommended (not urgent)

SF-12: 12-item Short Form Health Survey; PCS: Physical component summary; MCS: Mental component summary; HADS-A: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety; HADS-D: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression; DED: Dry eye disease.