A comprehensive study of 380,182 United Kingdom Biobank participants has revealed significant associations between sleep patterns and the development of age-related ocular diseases, suggesting that sleep could be a modifiable risk factor for eye health.

The prospective population-based cohort study,1 which followed participants for a median of 12.6 years, investigated relationships between sleep duration, sleep quality, and the incidence of cataract, primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Researchers documented 42,971 cataract cases, 5,793 POAG cases, 4,267 diabetic retinopathy cases, and 7,775 AMD cases during the follow-up period. The findings revealed U-shaped relationships between sleep duration and cataract, POAG, and diabetic retinopathy risks, identifying seven hours per day as the optimal sleep duration.

Poor sleep quality significantly elevated risks for cataract (HR=1.17) and POAG (HR=1.21), with a suggestive but non-significant association for diabetic retinopathy (HR=1.15). Specific sleep behaviours, including insomnia and daytime dozing, were found to predict higher disease risks across these conditions. Importantly, mediation analysis indicated that systemic inflammatory indicators significantly contributed to the associations between poor sleep quality, and both cataract and diabetic retinopathy development.

The researchers concluded that sleep patterns represent modifiable risk factors for age-related ocular diseases and highlighted the potential value of anti-inflammatory therapies in delaying ocular ageing manifestations. These findings suggest eye care practitioners should consider sleep assessment as part of comprehensive patient evaluation, particularly for higher risk older patients.

Reference available at mivision.com.au.