Sleep Apnea and Eye Diseases

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder that affects people during their sleep, causing them to have intermittent periods during which they do not breathe properly. These intermittent breathing issues during sleep lead to drops in oxygen levels.

Drops in oxygen have been linked to several eye diseases, including some diseases of the optic nerve. Since patients with untreated sleep apnea will experience these drops, they are at higher risk of this optic nerve damage that can lead to permanent vision loss.

Therefore, sleep apnea treatment is important for a lot of reasons including eye health!