In a recent study presented at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, researchers found that severe sleep apnea is a risk factor for developing diabetic macular edema, a complication of diabetes that can cause vision loss or blindness.
They also found diabetic macular edema is more difficult to treat in patients with severe sleep apnea.
The research was conducted by a team from Taiwan. The lead researcher is Juifan Chiang, MD.
When people with diabetes have poor control over their blood sugar levels, the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye can become damaged. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy and it’s a leading cause of blindness in the United States.
Sometimes, tiny bulges protrude from the blood vessels, leaking fluid and blood into the retina. This fluid can cause swelling or edema in an area of the retina that allows us to see clearly.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, disrupting sleep and causing blood oxygen levels to drop. This drop-in oxygen appears to unleash a host of changes in the body that may play a role in injuring blood vessels.
People with sleep apnea are at risk of developing hypertension, heart attacks, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. But what about the eyes?
In the study, the team looked at data from all patients diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy over an 8-year period at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.
They found that the rate of severe sleep apnea was significantly higher in patients with diabetic macular edema compared with those without diabetic macular edema (80.6% vs. 45.5%).
They also found that the worse their sleep apnea was, the worse their macular edema. Severe sleep apnea was also more prevalent in patients who needed more treatment to control their macular edema.
These patients required three or more treatments in medical or laser therapy.
The researchers hope that more medical professionals will approach sleep apnea as a risk factor for diabetic macular edema.
This could allow for earlier medical intervention so patients can keep more of their vision and preserve their overall health as much as possible.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about this drug could help reduce stroke, heart attacks in people with diabetes and findings of this drug combo could effectively control blood sugar in people with diabetes.
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