CPAP & Eye Vitreous Detachment, Related?

After noticing flashes of light in my right peripheral vision last week accompanied by floaters in the same eye I went to an opthamologist the next afternoon. I decided not to wait after reading the thread here titled "Eye Floaters and flashes of light". I would have posted there but the thread has been unfortunately hijacked.

I was diagnosed with a vitreous detachment which apparently is not nearly as serious as a retina detachment or tear. I was told by the doctor to come back in 4 weeks.

First of all thanks to those that commented in that thread as they emphasized the importance of seeing an opthamologist immediately.

My question may be crazy or coincidence however, could this in any way be related to my cpap machine? I know this condition is common for those over 50 which I am however, it just occurred last week for the first time. I first noticed my eye issue after the second use ever of any cpap machine. My face immediately below my right eye (3/4" away from where my mask rests) is very slightly sore daily after using my nasal mask, even now 10 hours after the last use. Could the air pressure or my mask in any way be promoting my eye condition? While I assume that there are few if any eye specialists here I thought it might be worth asking.

Thanks,
Dave

My eye doctor says that the vitreous gel tends to liquify in older people, promoting a detachment from the retinal cup,
which has resulted in some floaters in my case-one eye only. The floaters, though quite noticeable at first,
have faded to practically undetectable, and do not affect my vision. He says this a common thing which happens with age,
and usually is not a problem.
As for whether it is related to CPAP, I never asked; but I doubt it.

You need to speak with your opthamologist for specific confirmation. Call him up and ask.
I have been on cpap therapy 3 plus years and this was my first floater. I did not discuss the OSA and CPAP with the eye doctor. Didn't think to ask. I don't think they are related though. I can't think of any way that air would get into the eyeball to possible affect the gel inside the eye.

The soreness under the right eye..could it also be maxillary sinus? Could it be from mask pressure on that area?

I purposely hijacked my thread. We beat the "go to the doctor NOW" to death and I got tired of getting my butt chewed.
Since it was Off Topic already might as well make it way off topic and have a little fun.

Yes! Dave; do ask the doctor if it troubles you.
As for Pugsy; I'm glad your 'peepers' are in good shape.
I was one of the nags.

I, too, have a C Pap machine and floaters for the first time....seaweed for sure and so annoying. Sometimes air has escaped and it is blowing in my eye. I will give up the CPap or try the oral device as my eye sight is so important to me, if a connection is more than suspected.

If your sight matters to you AT ALL, you will GO TO AN EYE DOCTOR.
DO NOT use this as an EXCUSE to quit cpap!
This crap about cpap being bad for you is GARBAGE!
It is usually spread by people selling snake oil or trying to justify their own bad choices.
A better-fitting mask is more likely to solve your airflow/dry eye problem.
The seaweed is usually an artifact of aging, but GET A DOCTOR'S opinion.
I've been there, but in the chair--not the doctor!

PickleballLinda wrote:I, too, have a C Pap machine and floaters for the first time....seaweed for sure and so annoying. Sometimes air has escaped and it is blowing in my eye. I will give up the CPap or try the oral device as my eye sight is so important to me, if a connection is more than suspected.

Not a good idea to give up cpap because you THINK cpap is causing floaters! See an eye doctor and they will confirm the cause of your floaters. I bet it is not from cpap use.. Have floaters and vitrious detachment, been to eye doctor, Opthomologist and retinal specialist. All knew I was on cpap and not one even attempted to blame cpap for floaters!

I agree with cranky frog...look into a new mask to lower the leaks.

Cpap and sleep apnea can not be blamed for everything that goes wrong with us medically.

I was recently diagnosed with Posterior Vitreous Detachment and it happened to coincide precisely with my beginning of CPAP regimen. My ophthalmologist is, I consider, one of the very best in the specialty of treating diabetic retinopathy and certain other serious eye diseases including Posterior Vitreous Detachment, and is a topsurvival in the surgical repairoof advanced eye emergencies such as retinal detachment. (And her credentials are impeccable too: Princeton, Harvard Medical School, Baskin-Palmer fellowship in her specialty of retinal diseases). She unambiguously and unconditionally ruled out CPAP as having any relationship whatsoever to Posterior Vitreous Detachment, no matter how coincidental it might seem - and I trust her opinion and guidance implicitly. If anyone, on good authority, can report otherwise, I will certainly listen with open - though cautious - ears,

Thank you for this confirmation.
Cpap is only very rarely contraindicated--any one of those conditions would be so severe that
your doctor would have to be a complete idiot to miss it.

Phaeidaeux wrote:I was recently diagnosed with Posterior Vitreous Detachment and it happened to coincide precisely with my beginning of CPAP regimen. My ophthalmologist is, I consider, one of the very best in the specialty of treating diabetic retinopathy and certain other serious eye diseases including Posterior Vitreous Detachment, and is a topsurvival in the surgical repairoof advanced eye emergencies such as retinal detachment. (And her credentials are impeccable too: Princeton, Harvard Medical School, Baskin-Palmer fellowship in her specialty of retinal diseases). She unambiguously and unconditionally ruled out CPAP as having any relationship whatsoever to Posterior Vitreous Detachment, no matter how coincidental it might seem - and I trust her opinion and guidance implicitly. If anyone, on good authority, can report otherwise, I will certainly listen with open - though cautious - ears,

What's your point? It's quite "normal" as you age. Trying to blame your CPAP therapy? NONSENSE!!!
You either don't understand what it is or you're trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Are you questioning your own diagnosis and reasons for the condition and what your doctor told you or are you confirming the previous posts with regard that there isn't a connection to the therapy? I'm confused as to the purpose of your post.

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/tc/post ... c-overview

Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) happens as a normal part of aging. The vitreous gel shrinks and separates from the retina. PVD normally happens over a period of time, and it's something that you won't feel.


https://nei.nih.gov/health/vitreous/vitreous

As we age, the vitreous slowly shrinks, and these fine fibers pull on the retinal surface. Usually the fibers break, allowing the vitreous to separate and shrink from the retina. This is a vitreous detachment.

In most cases, a vitreous detachment, also known as a posterior vitreous detachment, is not sight-threatening and requires no treatment.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior ... detachment

The condition is common for older adults; over 75% of those over the age of 65 develop it. Although less common among people in their 40s or 50s, the condition is not rare for those individuals. Some research has found that the condition is more common among women.


Den

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It sounds so serious...in fact...she has floaters.

Floaters CAN be serious, but that is for the eye doc to determine.
Mine were harmless.

I don't think the poster is trying to BLAME cpap on the eye issues. When you first get a serious eye problem it's traumatizing (and hey, a giant floater or sudden blurriness would be to anybody). You don't know whether one condition you have could be related or not or whether YOUR doctor knows anything about it or not.

According the my opthoneurologist, the only thing that cpap can worsen is dry eye. If the mask is leaking directly in your eye path, then you need to take steps of either getting a different mask or, like my brother, using a sleep mask that 'cups' the eye to prevent the flow of air from reaching the eye (Walgreens sleep masks do this). There is a single full-face mask that is currently not recommended for those with high eye pressure or suspected glaucoma. The studies that I've managed to interpret all seem to state that cpap increases oxygen to the eye structures which is a good thing. Now, there might be different concerns if you had been in say a car crash, but I haven't a clue on that.

I too had that vitreous detachment, but it occurred before I needed a cpap.

Phaeidaeux wrote:I was recently diagnosed with Posterior Vitreous Detachment and it happened to coincide precisely with my beginning of CPAP regimen. My ophthalmologist is, I consider, one of the very best in the specialty of treating diabetic retinopathy and certain other serious eye diseases including Posterior Vitreous Detachment, and is a topsurvival in the surgical repairoof advanced eye emergencies such as retinal detachment. (And her credentials are impeccable too: Princeton, Harvard Medical School, Baskin-Palmer fellowship in her specialty of retinal diseases). She unambiguously and unconditionally ruled out CPAP as having any relationship whatsoever to Posterior Vitreous Detachment, no matter how coincidental it might seem - and I trust her opinion and guidance implicitly. If anyone, on good authority, can report otherwise, I will certainly listen with open - though cautious - ears,

I don't care how certified a 'doctor' is....Higher intraocular pressure IS proven after CPAP usage.

It's like those dolls that when you squeeze them, their eyes and ear pop out...CPAP adds pressure, which is the point of it.

Google 'iovs arvojournals' and 'Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Is Associated with an Increase in Intraocular Pressure in Obstructive Sleep Apnea'

Also 'ncbi nlm' with same header for multiple sources.

I am a fairly younger male and have been seeing an increase in eye floaters...my ophthalmologist said that people who use CPAP should see an eye doctor 2 times a year, not one.

I was diagnosed with glaucoma several years before my dIagnosis of sleep apnea.
My glaucoma is well controlled, and has not changed since going on CPAP.
It seems logical to me that damage is most likely from the APNEA--not the treatment.
(((Sub-par therapy MAY be a contributing factor--wrong mask, settings, etc.)))