Prospective evaluation of the comorbidity of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with glaucoma

Ocular Inflammation and Oxidative Stress as a Result of Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia: A Rat Model of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterized by intermittent complete or partial occlusion of the airway. Despite a recognized association between OSA and glaucoma, the nature of the underlying link remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether mild OSA induces morphological, inflammatory, and metabolic changes in the retina resembling those seen in glaucoma using a rat model of OSA known as chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). Rats were randomly assigned to either normoxic or CIH groups. The CIH group was exposed to periodic hypoxia during its sleep phase with oxygen reduction from 21% to 10% and reoxygenation in 6 min cycles over 8 h/day. The eyes were subsequently enucleated, and then the retinas were evaluated for retinal ganglion cell number, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, metabolic changes, and hypoxic response modulation using immunohistochemistry, multiplex assays, and capillary electrophoresis. Statistically significant differences were observed between normoxic and CIH groups for oxidative stress and inflammation, with CIH resulting in increased HIF-1α protein levels, higher oxidative stress marker 8-OHdG, and increased TNF-α. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 protein was significantly reduced with CIH. No significant differences were found in retinal ganglion cell number. Our findings suggest that CIH induces oxidative stress, inflammation, and upregulation of HIF-1α in the retina, akin to early-stage glaucoma.

Investigating the Causal Relationship Between Sleep Behaviors and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study

Background

Although previous studies of sleep-related behaviors in relation to primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) have been noted, the causal relationship remains unclear. The purpose of our present study was to investigate the relationships of genetically predicted sleep traits with POAG using a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) method.

Methods

Summary-level data collected from publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of European decent were applied for the bidirectional MR analysis. After quality control steps, independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms for eight sleep behaviors and POAG were selected as the genetic instruments. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) approach was adopted as the primary method, which was complemented by a series of sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of the results by estimating heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Multivariable MR (MVMR) was used to assess the direct effect of sleep traits on POAG, after adjusting for several confounding factors.

Results

Our investigation revealed a positive correlation between genetically predicted ease of getting up in the morning and sleep duration and POAG using the IVW method (odds ratio (OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.29-2.46, P = 4.33× 10-4; OR = 1.66, 95% CI:1.18-2.34, P = 3.38×10-3, respectively). Other supplementary MR methods also confirmed similar results. Moreover, the MVMR results also revealed that the adverse effects of these two sleep traits on POAG persisted after adjusting for body mass index, smoking, drinking, and education (all P < 0.05). Conversely, the relationships between genetic liability of POAG and different sleep behaviors were not statistically significant in the reverse-direction MR estimate (all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that genetic prediction of getting up easily in the morning or sleep duration were associated with a higher risk of POAG, but not vice versa, in a European population. Further validation and clinical interventions are required to offer potential strategies to prevent and manage POAG.

Retinal microcirculation characteristics in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome evaluated by OCT-angiography: a literature review

PURPOSE

The retina may provide a window to estimate systemic vascular status; therefore, there has been interest in identifying microcirculation characteristics that possibly reflect hypoxic alterations in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAS). Emerging evidence has suggested that retinal microvasculature investigation holds the potential to characterize the pathophysiology involved in ocular manifestations of OSAS. The advent of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) has attracted significant attention as this technique offers detailed analysis of the retinal capillary plexus.

METHODS

A detailed literature search was performed in PubMed database until December 2021. We identified and reviewed all papers referring to the alterations of the retinal capillary plexus in OSAS using OCT-A.

RESULTS

A comprehensive update indicates that microcirculation alterations of the retinal capillary plexus utilizing OCT-A may differ with severity of OSAS and imply the potential underlying pathophysiology of ocular manifestations. The reviewed series have revealed variability concerning microvasculature characteristics at the macular and the peripapillary area. Further studies are warranted to establish the OCT-A parameters as biomarkers regarding the evaluation of OSAS in clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

Retinal capillary plexus characteristics as seen on OCT-A reflect microvasculature alterations, potentially leading to concomitant ocular comorbidity in the context of OSAS. The reviewed literature may confirm the diagnostic and prognostic value of OCT-A in the assessment of the pathophysiology of ocular manifestations in OSAS and highlight unmet needs to be addressed by future research.