Sleep apnea may increase risk of proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Researchers used a standard screening device for sleep-disordered breathing to evaluate 166 surgical inpatients, 48 with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and 118 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Twenty-nine percent of the NPDR and 48 percent of the PDR patients were diagnosed as having the disorder. The authors conclude that the repetitive desaturation and reoxygenation associated with this condition may accelerate the progression of DR.