Association of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome with glaucomatous optic neuropathy and ocular blood flow

Georgios Dalianis; Alexandra Trivli; Aliki Limnopoulou; Andreas Stavrakis; Chryssa Terzidou; Efstathios T Detorakis; Vassilios Kozobolis; Georgios Labiris

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10089

Association of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome with glaucomatous optic neuropathy and ocular blood flow

Exp Ther Med. 2021 Jun;21(6):657. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10089. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Authors

Georgios Dalianis¹, Alexandra Trivli¹, Aliki Limnopoulou², Andreas Stavrakis³, Chryssa Terzidou¹, Efstathios T Detorakis⁴, Vassilios Kozobolis^{5

6}, Georgios Labiris⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Konstantopouleio-Patission General Hospital, Athens 14233, Greece.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Public Health Center, Athens 10679, Greece.
³ Department of Sleep Apnea, Konstantopouleio-Patission General Hospital, Athens 14233, Greece.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion 71110, Greece.
⁵ Eye Institute Thrace, Alexandroupolis 68131, Greece.
⁶ Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece.

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of glaucomatous optic neuropathy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). In total, 83 subjects (45 cases of severe OSAHS and 38 controls) underwent polysomnographic assessment and were evaluated for the severity of the disease using the Apnea-Hypopnea index. A detailed ophthalmologic exam was then performed, including measurement of the intraocular pressure (IOP) with a Goldmann applanation tonometer and Pascal dynamic contour tonometer (DCT), recording of the ocular pulse amplitude measured by the Pascal DCT, standard automated perimetry and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness evaluation using optical coherence tomography. Ocular blood flow was assessed using color Doppler imaging (CDI) and ophthalmic artery indices were evaluated, including peak systolic blood velocity, end diastolic blood velocity and resistivity index (RI). There was a significant difference in the mean IOP between controls (11.03±3.85 mmHg) and cases of severe OSAHS (18.06±3.39 mmHg) when the IOP was measured by DCT (P<0.0001), but not with the Goldmann applanation tonometer (IOP, 13.97±2.85 mmHg for controls and 14.89±3.21 mmHg for cases of severe OSAHS; P=0.0877). Significant negative correlations were observed between RNFL thickness and RI (P=0.0011) in cases of severe OSAHS, as well as between GCC thickness and RI (P<0.008) in all subjects. Furthermore, a negative correlation between RI and RNFL thickness in severe cases of OSAHS suggested a hemodynamically induced vulnerability of RNFL in OSAHS. The correlation between RI and GCC thickness in all subjects suggested that impaired perfusion, more prominent in OSAHS, leads to structural changes. Therefore, cases of severe OSAHS should be monitored for changes in RNFL and GCC thickness, as well as CDI findings. Furthermore, patients with increased ophthalmic artery RIs should be monitored for changes in the GCC, regardless of the etiology of the RI increase.

Keywords: ganglion cell complex; glaucomatous optic neuropathy; obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome; resistivity index; retinal nerve fiber layer.

Grants and funding

Funding: No funding was received.