To assess the association between decreased visual acuity (VA) and diagnosis of depressive disorder by a physician or experience of depressive mood using self-report questionnaires.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using nationally representative data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2008-2012). A total of 28,919 adults who had sociodemographic and health behavioral risk factors available were included. An association between decreased VA and depression was identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for possible confounders. Depression was defined as a depressive disorder with a diagnosis by a physician or depressive mood lasting more than 2 weeks using self-report questionnaires.

The prevalence of depressive disorder and depressive mood in Koreans was 1,160 (4.0%) and 4,063 (14.1%), respectively. In univariable logistic regression, there was significant association between VA and depressive disorder or depressive mood. However, in multivariable logistic regression analysis, this study found no statistically significant association between VA status and the prevalence of depressive disorder or depressive mood in Koreans.

No association between decreased VA and a depressive disorder/depressive mood in Korean adults after adjusting for possible confounders was found. Therefore, further longitudinal cohort studies examining the causal relationship between decreased VA and depression in Korean adults are necessary.