The essence of the study:
- Glaucoma is a common eye condition that can lead to blindness
- Initially asymptomatic, glaucoma can be detected from the age of 45
- Sleep disorders are associated with an increased risk of glaucoma, according to an observational study
- They could affect eye pressure, a key factor in the onset of glaucoma
Do your sleeping habits expose you to higher risk of glaucoma ? This serious eye disease caused by a abnormal increase in pressure in the eye and characterized by the progressive loss of photosensitive cells creating lesions of the optic nerve, can ultimately lead to blindness. Relatively common, glaucoma could affect more than 112 million people worldwide by 2040.
If its causes are still poorly understood, a new study published on 1er November in the magazine BMJ Open claims that poor quality sleep may be linked to an increased risk of glaucoma. “Snoring, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and short/long duration, individually or in combination, were all associated with glaucoma risk“, said the researchers.
To arrive at these results, the researchers recruited 409,053 people aged 40 to 69 in the UK between 2006 and 2010, and followed them until March 2021. “Normal” sleep duration was defined as between seven and nine hours a day. During the follow-up period, 8,690 cases of glaucoma were detected.
Behaviors that increase eye pressure
Compared to people with a healthy sleep pattern, snoring and daytime sleepiness increased the risk by 11%, and insomnia and sleeping too much or too little by 13%.
While the study was only observational – and therefore cannot draw a conclusion – some plausible biological explanations may confirm this link. Indeed, the internal pressure in the eye, a key factor in glaucoma, increases when lying down and when sleep hormones are disturbed, as is the case during insomnia for example. The depression and anxiety that often accompany trouble sleeping may also be responsible for this rise in internal eye pressure. Finally, low oxygen levels in cells, caused by a sudden cessation of breathing during sleep, could damage the optic nerve.
“As sleep behaviors are modifiable, these results highlight the need for sleep intervention for those at high risk of glaucoma as well as potential ophthalmological screening in people with chronic sleep problems for glaucoma prevention.“, conclude the researchers.
How to prevent the onset of glaucoma?
Glaucoma initially develops without symptoms and does not initially cause pain or loss of vision. Thus, one in two people with glaucoma would not be aware of their pathology until it is too late. The first warning signs are a decrease in peripheral vision, blurred vision of objects close to you or even headaches.
To limit its occurrence, it is important to maintain healthy sleep habits and to think about the screening from 45 years old, and from the age of 40 if a member of your family has it. It is carried out at the ophthalmologist in just a few minutes.
Source :
- Association of sleep behavior and pattern with the risk of glaucoma: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank, BMJ OpenNovember 1, 2022
