Obstructive sleep apnea and the retina: a review

• Published in: Journal of clinical sleep medicine Vol. 17; no. 9; pp. 1947 - 1952
• Main Authors: Nakayama, Luis Filipe, Tempaku, Priscila Farias, Bergamo, Vinicius Campos, Polizelli, Murilo Ubukata, Santos da Cruz, Natasha Ferreira, Bittencourt, Lia Rita Azeredo, Regatieri, Caio Vinicius Saito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities 01-09-2021
• Subjects: Diabetic Retinopathy - epidemiology; Humans; Retina - pathology; Retinal Vessels - pathology; Review; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - complications; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - epidemiology; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; optical coherence tomography; retina; sleep apnea syndrome
• ISSN: 1550-9389; 1550-9397
• DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.9312

This review's objective was to synthesize the literature on the repercussions of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the retinal vascular system. Two independent investigators conducted a search using the MEDLINE/PubMed database using the following terms: sleep apnea syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, retina, vascular tortuosity, central serous chorioretinopathy, diabetes mellitus, and subfoveal choroidal thickness. Patients with OSA present increased vascular tortuosity compared with patients without OSA, decreased parafoveal and peripapillary vessel density, and increased retinal vein occlusion incidence. In central serous chorioretinopathy patients and patients who are poor responders to intravitreal anti-VEGF (-vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment for macular edema, OSA is more frequent. Macular choroidal thickness alterations are controversial, and OSA may worsen diabetic maculopathy, thus being a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and macular edema. OSA is a prevalent syndrome with many systemic vascular changes. The retina and choroid are the most affected ocular structures, with primarily vascular changes. New noninvasive technologies such as optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography could help to better understand retinal structures and help clarify the ophthalmological repercussions of OSA.
Nakayama LF, Tempaku PF, Bergamo VC, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea and the retina: a review.
. 2021;17(9):1947-1952.