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Article: Sleep apnea and the eyes.(SLEEP MEDICINE)
- Article from:
- FOCUS: Journal for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine
- Article date:
- September 22, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Focus Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Untreated sleep apnea can contribute to problems with the cardiovascular system (e.g., hypertension), the heart (e.g., arrhythmia), the kidneys (e.g., nephrotic syndrome), the liver (e.g., hypoxic hepatitis), and the central nervous system (e.g., stroke). In recent years, scientists have begun to realize that sleep apnea may contribute to problems in another organ--the eyes. Sleep apnea can increase the risk of developing glaucoma and can worsen the symptoms of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), papilledema, and diabetic retinopathy.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve is slowly destroyed resulting in vision loss. By the time ...