Study Links Sleep Apnea to Increased Risk of Blindness

A latest study reveals a strong association between sleep apnea and an increased risk of blindness.

The latest study conducted by researchers in Taiwan states that people with sleep apnea are at a high risk of developing glaucoma. This is the first study that calculates the risk of eye disease among those that suffer with the sleep condition.

Glaucoma is linked with increased fluid pressure in the eye and can cause permanent vision damage leading to blindness, if untreated. The loss of vision occurs gradually and symptoms do not show until the disease has reached an advanced state. Therefore, half of the people who suffer glaucoma are unaware of the disease.

The study "Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Increased Risk of Glaucoma," was based on a nationwide population data that analyzed the occurrence and risk of common form of glaucoma among those who suffered from sleep apnea.

They checked nearly 1,012 patients in the National Health Insurance medical records. All of them were around 40 years of age or above. This data was compared with a control group of 6,072 patients.

They noticed that the risk of developing open angle glaucoma within five years of suffering from sleep apnea was 1.67 times higher when compared to the control group.

This study shows that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for causing open angle glaucoma , which progresses at a slower rate, and patients may not notice the loss of vision till the extreme stage.

"We hope that this study encourages clinicians to alert obstructive sleep apnea patients of the associations between obstructive sleep apnea and open-angle glaucoma as a means of raising the issue and encouraging treatment of those who need it," study author Herng-Ching Lin, Ph.D., of the College of Medical Science and Technology at Taipei Medical University, concluded.

The findings were documented in the journal American Academy of Ophthalmology.