RVO More Likely in Hispanic/Latino Patients with Sleep Apnea

Hispanic or Latino patients with sleep apnea have the highest risk of retinal vein occlusion, followed by white and Black patients. Asian patients are at risk, but apnea is not a significant factor. Photo: Rami Aboumourad, OD. Click image to enlarge. Sleep is essential to staying healthy, but some individuals do not have the luxury of simply closing their eyes and getting a good night’s rest. Sleeping disorders can influence their health by keeping them awake or altering their breathing to create a more fitful, less restive experience, perhaps even affecting their ocular system. This has been recently reported in a study published in Eye by a group of Cleveland-based researchers. Their findings showed how obstructive sleep apnea impacts the risk of retinal vein occlusion (RVO).In this study, electronic health data from 3,279,582 patients diagnosed as RVO-naïve and 5,264 patients with preexisting RVO were analyzed. The researchers wanted to discover whether patients with sleep apnea were more likely to be at risk for RVO and if the risk of progression would increase. To determine the risk of disease, risk ratios were calculated for the sex, race and ethnicity of RVO-naïve cases. Similarly, the risk of progression was assessed by establishing risk ratios for the rates of comorbidities within the preexisting RVO group. A risk ratio of 1.0 indicated a positive association with chances of developing or progressing RVO. Anything higher than 1.0 shows the risk of developing RVO has an increased chance of developing or progressing.Results from the study showed that sleep apnea was associated with the risk of developing and progressing RVO in various populations. For RVO-naïve patients, men had a risk ratio of 1.35 and women had a risk ratio of 1.28. Continuing, Hispanic or Latino patients reported the highest risk ratio (1.77), followed by white patients (1.32) and then by Black subjects (1.26). RVO-naïve Asian patients did not have a significant risk ratio. For preexisting RVO patients, significant risk ratios were found for macular edema (3.7), vitreous hemorrhage (2.29), neovascularization (2.22) and photocoagulation (1.73). Although some cases progressed to vitrectomy, the reported risk ratio was not significant.“Currently, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether Hispanic and Latino ethnicity itself is an independent risk factor for RVO development or if it predisposes individuals to a greater detrimental effect of sleep apnea on RVO risk,” wrote the authors. “Regardless, the results of our study highlight the importance of focusing on Hispanic and Latino patients in future investigations of the relationship between sleep apnea and RVO, especially given the significantly lower representation of Hispanic and Latino populations in existing clinical trials on RVO.”The limitations for this study included the use of datasets with underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed sleep apnea patients; large sample sizes with underrepresented groups such as Asian patients and excluded groups such as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander patients; unmeasured factors such as socioeconomic status and lifestyle; and the exclusion of confounding ocular conditions of patients in the preexisting RVO group.“If these findings are confirmed in future prospective studies,” concluded the authors, clinicians should consider regular ocular screenings for all patients with sleep apnea and, conversely, “incorporating sleep apnea screening into regular follow-up appointments for patients with RVO to allow for prompt initiation of CPAP therapy.”Click here for the journal source. Jeong H, Shaia JK, Kaelber DC, et al. Associations between obstructive sleep apnoea and the development and severity of retinal vein occlusion. Eye. July 16, 2025 [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.