Poor Sleep Quality Tied to Higher Risk for Glaucoma

FRIDAY, Nov. 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Many patterns of poor sleep quality are associated with an increased risk for glaucoma, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in BMJ Open.

Cun Sun, from Beijing Huimin Hospital, and colleagues examined the association between sleep behaviors and glaucoma using data from 409,053 participants in the U.K. Biobank.

The researchers found that compared with individuals who had a healthy sleep pattern, an excess risk for any glaucoma was seen among individuals with snoring and daytime sleepiness (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.19) or insomnia and short or long sleep duration (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.20). However, no association was seen for late chronotype sleep pattern (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.93 to 1.03).

“In conclusion, this community-based cohort study demonstrated that individuals with suboptimal sleep patterns, that is, characterized by snoring and daytime sleepiness or insomnia and short/long sleep duration, were at increased risk of glaucoma,” the authors write. “As sleep behaviors are modifiable, these findings underscore the necessity of sleep intervention for individuals at high risk of glaucoma and potential ophthalmologic screening among individuals with chronic sleep problems to help prevent glaucoma.”

Abstract/Full Text