Background: There has been limited exploration of the relationship between ADHD and vision impairment, especially in relation to ADHD medication regimens and age. This study aims to examine trends in visual disorders in young patients with ADHD.
Methods: We analyzed deidentified patient records from TriNetX database. Patients under 22 years old were divided into cohorts based on ADHD status and medication regimen. We compared prevalence of vision disorders between cohorts.
Results: We studied over 1 million patients. The ADHD cohort had higher rates of all visual disorders than their non-ADHD peers. Medication usage was found to have a slight impact, with non-stimulants associating with higher rates for all outcomes.
Discussion: Our findings suggest that the higher occurrence of visual disorders in ADHD is not primarily due to misdiagnosis or medication effects. There is a need for regular eye care in ADHD patients and further investigation into the role of ADHD medications in eye health.
Keywords: ADHD; associated disorders; medication effects; ophthalmology; visual disorders.