VIDEO: Retina patients respond better to therapy when sleep disorders are treated
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
ATLANTA — A strong association exists between sleep disorders and conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, Paul Chous, MA, OD, FAAO, said at SECO 100.
“Patients actually respond better to treatment with, let’s say, anti-VEGF therapy if they get their sleep disorder, particularly sleep apnea, treated,” Chous, a private practitioner from Tacoma, Washington, said in this video.
Chous recommended asking these patients if they have had a sleep study. If not, ask their partners about cessation of breath during sleep, and perform what he calls “the easy sleep apnea predictor.”
He explained: “Put your thumbs together, wrap [your fingers] around your neck; if your fingers intertwine, you pass. But if there’s a gap of more than maybe about a centimeter between your fingers, it’s highly probable that you have sleep apnea.”
Collapse
Chous P. Sleep disorders: What eye care professionals need to know. Presented at: SECO; March 1-5, 2023; Atlanta.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts