Prevalence of sleep/wake disorders in persons with blindness.
Blind individuals are not only handicapped by their loss of vision, but are also affected because the loss of sight may have a secondary impact on functioning of their biological clock. The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of visual loss on sleep/wake disorders. A prospective 48-item questionnaire survey was distributed to blind individuals through the French Association Valentin Haüy, which serves blind persons. A control group matched by age, sex, geographical location and professional activity/non-activity was obtained from a panel of 20000 households representative of the French population, and this group also completed the questionnaire. From a potential blind population of 1500 subjects, 1073 questionnaires (71.5%) were completed and usable for analysis, and from a potential 1000 control subjects, 794 (79. 4%) of the questionnaires were returned and analysed. Criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th revision, and the International Classification of Sleep/Wake Disorders (1990) were used to determine pathology. Individuals determined to be 'totally blind' and 'almost blind' (i.e. with less than 10% vision left in only one eye) presented a significantly higher occurrence of sleep/wake disorders than controls. Nocturnal sleep disruption, daytime somnolence, and (to a lesser degree) a 'free-running' condition are significantly more common in blind individuals. There is an increased use of sleeping pills, and a higher incidence of inappropriate involuntary daily naps. In conclusion, individuals with blindness report a significant curtailment of total sleep time and hence resulting daytime somnolence, which impacts on daytime activities. A 'free-running' condition is also a common sleep/wake impairment that may compound the handicap of blindness.
Centre du Sommeil, Hotel Dieu, 75001 Paris, France and Stanford Sleep Disorders Center, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Suite 3301A, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
D
D
Leger
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C
Guilleminault
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R
Defrance
A
A
Domont
M
M
Paillard
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012913:Snoring / Q000209:etiology