Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to higher risk of wet AMD

Research published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology has found an association between nocturnal hypoxia and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The study involved 225 participants aged 50 or older recruited through the Centre for Eye Research Australia. There were 171 participants with AMD and 54 healthy control participants.

Each participant was given a wrist pulse oximeter to wear for seven hours overnight, for three consecutive nights, to measure oxygen levels in their blood while they slept. This was used to assess which participants were likely to have obstructive sleep apnoea – the most common form of sleep disordered breathing.

Multimodal imaging of the study participants was used to assess AMD status and severity.

The study found that study participants with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea were six times more likely to have wet AMD.

“Nocturnal hypoxia may be an under-appreciated important modifiable risk factor for nAMD,” the researchers highlighted.

Mild obstructive sleep apnoea was not associated with differences in the odds of having AMD of any severity.

The researchers shared that age, obesity and male gender are considered risk factors associated with obstructive sleep apnoea.