title: Obstructive sleep apnea among patients with retinal vein occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the possible involvement of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in retinal vein occlusion (RVO).
  
  
  METHODS
  From the medical records of 63 consecutive patients with RVO, 30 patients with 2 of the 3 following risk factors for OSA were selected for further screening from February 1, 2008, through March 31, 2009: associated cardiovascular disease, snoring, or daytime sleepiness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 30 selected patients, 23 (77%) had OSA. If all 33 of the unscreened patients did not have OSA, the OSA prevalence would have been 37%. Among the patients with OSA, the mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 21; OSA was mild (AHI <15) in 13 patients, moderate in 5 patients (AHI 15-30), and severe (AHI >30) in 5 patients. The AHI was correlated with body mass index (P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a higher than expected prevalence of OSA in a series of patients with RVO. Our findings suggest that OSA could be an additional risk factor that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RVO or at least that it is a frequently associated condition that could be a triggering factor. This association may explain why most patients discover visual loss on awakening. It is too early to assess whether OSA treatment could improve visual outcome of RVO, but it seems vital to recognize OSA in RVO for the general health of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Intercommunal and Henri Mondor Hospitals/Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, France. agnes.glacet@chicreteil.fr
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glacet-Bernard
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leroux les Jardins
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lasry
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coscas
authors.forename: Gisèle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soubrane
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Souied
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Housset
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology