Personality trends in keratoconus. An analysis
M. J. Mannis, T. L. Morrison, K. Zadnik, E. J. Holland and J. H. Krachmer
Patients with keratoconus frequently are described as having peculiar
personality characteristics, despite the lack of controlled studies in the
ophthalmologic or psychiatric literature. We studied 109 subjects, using a
standardized personality inventory (the Millon Clinical Multiaxial
Inventory) that measures 20 personality scales-both normal and pathologic.
Subjects were divided into three age-matched groups: (1) patients with
keratoconus, (2) patients with other chronic eye diseases, and (3) normal
controls. Results indicated that although chronic eye disease, including
keratoconus, did have an impact on personality functioning in young and
middle-aged adults, no specific complex of personality characteristics
attributable to keratoconus could be identified. Patients with keratoconus
differed from normal controls in much the same way as did patients with
other chronic eye diseases, being less conforming and more
passive-aggressive, paranoid, and hypomanic. They tended to more
disorganized patterns of thinking and scored higher on substance abuse
indicators. The influence of keratoconus on personality may be a function
of the timing and nature of its onset in the context of the patient's
psychosocial development.
