Gaining an Hour of Sleep May be Protective Against Retinal Disease

MONDAY, Aug. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Gaining an hour of sleep in the context of daylight saving time (DST) transitions may be protective against retinal disease risk, according to a study published online June 26 in Scientific Reports.

Kyle S. Chan, M.D., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues examined the relationship between DST transitions and retinal vascular disease among patients aged 18 to 64 years identified between 2012 to 2014. The incidence of new diagnosis of retinal artery occlusion (RAO), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) was assessed after autumn DST transition, spring DST transition, and control periods in the summer and winter.

A total of 12,640,343 patients met the inclusion criteria. The researchers found that compared with a summer control period, in the month following autumn DST transition, the risks of RVO and PDR were lower (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.84 and 0.83, respectively). In the month following spring DST transition, the risk of PDR and nvAMD were higher (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.34 and 1.24, respectively). The risk of RAO, RVO, PDR, and nvAMD were lower in the month following autumn DST transition compared with a winter control period (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.75, 0.66, 0.61, and 0.64, respectively).

“There”s been literature showing that losing an hour”s sleep and circadian misalignment can cause inflammatory responses and metabolic derangements, and there”s also been some literature suggesting that getting an hour”s sleep in the context of daylight saving might be protective,” Chan said in a statement.

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