{"id":153,"date":"2022-04-03T17:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-03T17:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepbetterbaytown.com\/blog\/?p=153"},"modified":"2026-04-02T19:23:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:23:54","slug":"sleep-apnea-and-blindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/sleep-apnea-and-blindness\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Sleep Apnea Cause Blindness?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Millions of Americans miss out on hours of precious sleep every night because of sleep apnea<\/a>\u2014on top of that, this condition can lead to a variety of different health problems if left untreated! Among these are issues with eyesight; in fact, recent studies have revealed a strong connection between sleep apnea and diabetes-related eye problems. Here\u2019s what you need to know about this link and what you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Link Between Sleep Apnea and Vision Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing during your sleep due to a blockage in your airway. Your body must wake up to normalize your breathing, causing you to exit deep sleep. You might be wondering: \u201cWhat does this have to do with my eyesight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research conducted over an 8-year period at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan has shown a strong connection between sleep apnea and a condition called diabetic retinopathy, which is marked by damage to blood vessels in the eyes. This condition, if untreated, can eventually progress into something called macular edema, which occurs when fluid builds up in the retina of the eye. This can seriously damage the eye and cause vision loss! Although this can happen to anyone, it is more common in those who are diabetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The link between sleep apnea and vision problems, while somewhat indirect, is still clearly observable\u2014sleep apnea can trigger the sequence of events that can eventually lead to blindness, especially in diabetic patients. Another example is the effect that sleep apnea has on your physical wellness; memory loss, fatigue, and stress can all bring you down, and even increase your blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in your eyes and cause vision problems, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What You Can Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re worried about sleep apnea and how it might be influencing you and your eyesight, the best thing you can do is seek treatment, especially if you also suffer from diabetes. Assuming you\u2019re eligible, solutions like CPAP machines and certain oral appliances can help reduce the negative impact of your sleep apnea. Managing your condition can help to keep other problems at bay; just be sure to follow your doctor\u2019s instructions closely\u2014remember, you can only receive treatment from your dentist after<\/em> you\u2019ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a sleep doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re diabetic, keeping your diabetes under control is also important to managing your sleep apnea and leading a healthy lifestyle. Exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a well-balanced diet can all reduce your risk of developing retinopathy or other related problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleep apnea can affect much more than just your ability to rest; even your vision is in jeopardy! But by seeking treatment, you can put your concerns to rest and get back to bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Dean Hutto was born and raised right here in the Baytown area, and he is happy to provide elite treatment for patients in his hometown! Dr. Hutto received his DDS from the University of Texas Dental School in Houston and is a member of many professional organizations including the American Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. If you\u2019d like to schedule an appointment for a sleep apnea screening, feel free to reach out through his website<\/a> or by phone: (281) 422-8249.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Millions of Americans miss out on hours of precious sleep every night because of sleep apnea\u2014on top of that, this condition can lead to a variety of different health problems if left untreated! Among these are issues with eyesight; in fact, recent studies have revealed a strong connection between sleep apnea and diabetes-related eye problems. Here\u2019s what you need to know about this link and what you can do. (Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":477,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153\/revisions\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}