Diabetic Retinopathy Associated with Sleep Apnea
The eyes are a window to the soul AND to the body. New research links patients who have diabetes and diabetic retinopathy to those with sleep apnea.The researchers found that retinopathy was present in more than half of those who had sleep apnea compared to less than a third without sleep apnea. This association was unrelated to the presence of blood sugar control, weight, blood pressure or age. Symptoms of possible sleep apnea include snoring, stopped breathing and daytime sleepiness. Its possible that positive pressure breathing during sleeo (CPAP) can delay the development or progression of retinopathy associated with diabetes. Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will be able to evaluate you for diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the US up to about the age 60.
