Scientists at the Taipei Medical University reviewed National Health Insurance medical records for 1,012 patients aged 40 and above who were diagnosed with sleep apnea between 2001 and 2004.
Then they matched their patient records against a like control group of 6,072 strong.
Glaucoma affects around 60 million people worldwide and sleep apnea approximately 100 million. In a report published in the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the researchers suggested health care providers seriously consider running tests for both conditions and warning at risk-patients.
“We hope that this study encourages clinicians to alert obstructive sleep apnea patients of the associations between obstructive sleep apnea and open-angle glaucoma as a means of raising the issue and encouraging treatment of those who need it,” wrote the authors of the study, led by Herng-Ching Lin, PhD, of the College of Medical Science and Technology at Taipei Medical University.
