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Young adults with obstructive sleep apnea may be at higher risk for glaucoma
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SAN FRANCISCO — Young adults with obstructive sleep apnea may experience preclinical thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer and could be at higher risk for glaucoma, according to a speaker here.
“Obstructive sleep apnea may be associated with preclinical thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer in young adults. This suggests that an increased glaucoma risk may be present at a younger age,” David A. Mackey, MD, said at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.
Mackey and colleagues analyzed 848 adults in the Raine Study who attended a sleep study, underwent an ophthalmic examination and underwent OCT imaging. The researchers grouped the participants into one of four categories: no obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), mild OSA, moderate OSA and severe OSA. Participants classified as having severe OSA scored greater than 30 on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index during their sleep study, Mackey said.
One hundred seventy-eight participants had OSA, with 150 classified as mild, 26 as moderate, and two as severe. Those with all categories of OSA had statistically significant thinner retinal nerve fiber layer superotemporally (P = .016) and inferotemporally (P = .047) compared with those without OSA, Mackey said.
A normal change in retinal nerve fiber layer in normal adults is –2 µm per decade, he said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Mackey DA. Associations between optic disc measures and obstructive sleep apnea in young adults. Presented at: American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting; October 11-15, 2019; San Francisco.
Disclosure: Mackey reports he is a consultant and advisor to Allergan.