Apnea = Hypoxia = Permanent Vision Loss

[OldLincoln]

I may have just missed it before, but today while visiting another forum totally unrelated to OSA, a poster with very significant health issues wrote "...I am slowly losing vision due to hypoxia caused by the sleep apnea." I don't feel right to quote the whole post, but the person had very extensive testing for the doctors to come to this conclusion. BTW, they had discontinued CPAP for a variety of reasons but it looked to me like they were not set up right or followed closely. I will point them to this forum when I'm "approved" to post.

[pianomagoo]

[quote="OldLincoln"]I may have just missed it before, but today while visiting another forum totally unrelated to OSA, a poster with very significant health issues wrote "...I am slowly losing vision due to hypoxia caused by the sleep apnea." I don't feel right to quote the whole post, but the person had very extensive testing for the doctors to come to this conclusion. BTW, they had discontinued CPAP for a variety of reasons but it looked to me like they were not set up right or followed closely. I will point them to this forum when I'm "approved" to post.[/quote


Lincoln,

Would you please pm me the link to this web site and how to find this post?

I have been having vision problems also... even before I started cpap but it has been getting worse since being on straight pressure.

I would be very interested in reading this post or article and would appreciate very much if you would send me the link and I can register if need be to read it.

Thanks in advance,

Anne

[pianomagoo]

I may have just missed it before, but today while visiting another forum totally unrelated to OSA, a poster with very significant health issues wrote "...I am slowly losing vision due to hypoxia caused by the sleep apnea." I don't feel right to quote the whole post, but the person had very extensive testing for the doctors to come to this conclusion. BTW, they had discontinued CPAP for a variety of reasons but it looked to me like they were not set up right or followed closely. I will point them to this forum when I'm "approved" to post.

I tried to pm you to thank you but couldn't for some reason... so I will do it here.

Thank you so much, for the link, Old Lincoln. I copied and pasted that post to ms word so I can put it into a file I'm gathering on cpap and vision improvement and cpap straight pressure and vision impairment.

Take care,

Anne

[Hawthorne]

I was at my Optometrist's this past week for my annual eye exam. Since there have been posts on eyesight and sleep apnea, I decided to ask him his opinion.
First off, he knew NOTHING about sleep apnea or cpap. He said, "I just know eyes".
He questioned me about what is being blown through the hose. I informed him it was just room air at a particular pressure which differs from person to person.
He asked 2 questions - 1. Is there a steroid in the air? Apparently that would be bad for the eyes over a period of time. I asured him there were no steroids - just air.
2. He asked if the machine helped keep oxygen levels up. I told him that, yes it most certainly did.
He told me that anything that helps oxygen levels to stay at a good healthy level is good for all organs in the bodyincluding the eyes.
His opinion was that people with sleep apnea, who are diagnosed and are using the cpap machines, will have healthier eyes longer because of the oxygen situation. He said that, while, it cannot undo damage done before diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, it can most certainly, in his opinion, help keep it from getting worse - at least slow it down considerably. If a person does not treat their sleep apnea, they are putting all body organs including eyes, at risk because of those oxygen levels, was his opinion.
I found this very interesting and helpful so pass it on for those dealing with this. This is a man with 28 years experience in the "eye business".

[pianomagoo]

I was at my Optometrist's this past week for my annual eye exam. Since there have been posts on eyesight and sleep apnea, I decided to ask him his opinion.
First off, he knew NOTHING about sleep apnea or cpap. He said, "I just know eyes".
He questioned me about what is being blown through the hose. I informed him it was just room air at a particular pressure which differs from person to person.
He asked 2 questions - 1. Is there a steroid in the air? Apparently that would be bad for the eyes over a period of time. I asured him there were no steroids - just air.
2. He asked if the machine helped keep oxygen levels up. I told him that, yes it most certainly did.
He told me that anything that helps oxygen levels to stay at a good healthy level is good for all organs in the bodyincluding the eyes.
His opinion was that people with sleep apnea, who are diagnosed and are using the cpap machines, will have healthier eyes longer because of the oxygen situation. He said that, while, it cannot undo damage done before diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea, it can most certainly, in his opinion, help keep it from getting worse - at least slow it down considerably. If a person does not treat their sleep apnea, they are putting all body organs including eyes, at risk because of those oxygen levels, was his opinion.
I found this very interesting and helpful so pass it on for those dealing with this. This is a man with 28 years experience in the "eye business".

Hawthorne,

He's right and he's not right. Cpap is good as he says because getting more oxygen to all organs and there are articles to attest to that. On the other hand, the Journal of Opthmology also says that straight cpap pressures ( I imagine, higher pressures) can cause vision loss. I am trying to get articles on both. Probably pressures under 10 of straight pap may cause no harm but pressures higher may, at least for some people.

It may depend on whether you have other medical conditions.

There was an article on a patient with vision loss due to cpap therapy who got a bad eye infection causing vision loss because of bacteria in his mask had gotten in his eye. It is obviously very important to keep your mask bacteria free.

The article from Journal of Opthamology that scared me was the one that mentioned symptoms of sudden vision loss upon wakening. This was also ascribed to cpap straight pressure. This has happened to me at least 3 times since being on straight cpap.
I don't know if it is because I alread have a pre-existing eye disease that makes me more susceptible or not.

In any case you will get pros and cons either way. Therefore, according to your own health issues besides apnea you need to decide if straight cpap is worth that risk or if you would feel safer with an auto-titrating cpap.

I am trying to get an auto, and if that doesn't happen within the next couple weeks, I will have to buy one.

[OldLincoln]

JMHO.. Seems negative consequences to eyes whgen using xPAP are sedondary effects - eye gets infected and the infection is ascribed to CPAP, etc. However, for those of us with proven history of low oxygen, xPAP increases levels and eyes are healthier than would be otherwise.

[DreamStalker]

If you are having vision problems ... it is quite likely not caused by CPAP.

However, if you take a shower while hosed up to your CPAP and you get electrocuted, you could write an article in the Journal of Electical Accidents about how CPAPs cause death by electrocution ... well, only if you write the article before you take the shower ... gotta be smart about these things.

[Snoredog]

I use:

Dr. Dean Edell's reading glasses $12 bucks at Longs Drugs, those 1.25's work just as good as the $300+ 1.25's my eye doctor scripted.

[froggie66]

I work for an Ophthalmologist and recently I came across an article in one of the journals he receives that shows a possible link between CPAP treatment and glaucoma (my antennae were twitching like crazy when I saw the letters "CPAP" on the table of contents page). It was a small study, of only recently diagnosed and newly treated apnea patients, but it seems that it has to do with the increased pressure causing an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP).

Glaucoma causes permanent vision loss, and there is no known cure at this time, just treatment to forestall vision loss and handle the other symptoms.

This is one thing that the eye docs of everyone on this board need to know!! Tell your eye doc that you are under x-PAP treatment so they can get that in your chart and watch for signs of glaucoma.

I AM NOT A PHYSICIAN, but....BTW....that little puff of air test that some docs do as a "screening test" for glaucoma is not the best gauge of actual potential glaucoma issues. See a doc who will do a real pressure check. Get a baseline and get that in your chart, too. Common sense stuff!

The article that I found was in "Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science" (IOVS), March 2008, pp. 934-940, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Is Associated with an Increase in Intraocular Pressure in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

FWIW,
K

[gasp]

If you are having vision problems ... it is quite likely not caused by CPAP.

However, if you take a shower while hosed up to your CPAP and you get electrocuted, you could write an article in the Journal of Electical Accidents about how CPAPs cause death by electrocution ... well, only if you write the article before you take the shower ... gotta be smart about these things.

I don't have an opinion on vision and CPAP yet, however, your post made me laugh - thanks

[gasp]

I may have just missed it before, but today while visiting another forum totally unrelated to OSA, a poster with very significant health issues wrote "...I am slowly losing vision due to hypoxia caused by the sleep apnea." I don't feel right to quote the whole post, but the person had very extensive testing for the doctors to come to this conclusion. BTW, they had discontinued CPAP for a variety of reasons but it looked to me like they were not set up right or followed closely. I will point them to this forum when I'm "approved" to post.

If a person posts to a public forum, then it is my opinion it is in the worldwide domain and therefore available as information for us all to help or not as the case may be. I think this is the post you may have been referring to. http://www.gbs-cidp.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4634

[Guest]

Thank you sooo much for having the courtesy to document your reference.

The article that I found was in "Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science" (IOVS), March 2008, pp. 934-940, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Is Associated with an Increase in Intraocular Pressure in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

That is the way it should be done. Not talking about the syntax but that you gave enuff info for someone to find it if they wanted further info. Kudos to you.

[OldLincoln]

I suppose this subject could fill another thread. Generically speaking I agree that internet posts are public domain, however, I am sensitive to medical peer-help forums as they discuss personal information by necessity. I am not paranoid or consider myself naive, but I do try to be sensitive as the poster might come across linked posts and pull away from the forums. Since the post has been linked now, tell me how my post would have helped you more in full context.

Actually, now I'm thinking about going over all my posts and editing out personal stuff and I been quite open here. Once what seems like centeries ago now, my wife and I where involved in a marriage encounter program where we shared very personal information in a way that others might relate to in their own relationships. We didn't ask to join but were recruited as the program may have saved our marriage. It was that experience that demonstrated to me that others do relate and do act. And I can attest that everything I have shared is absolutely true.

BTW, Happy Anniversary to my beautiful bride and I with 42 years of wedded bliss today! I look at her and wonder how she could possibly have picked such on old guy (edit: only 1 actual year older), but then I see the 2 kids (us) in the pictures and they are just as happy with each other as we are today.

[gasp]

I suppose this subject could fill another thread. Generically speaking I agree that internet posts are public domain, however, I am sensitive to medical peer-help forums as they discuss personal information by necessity. I am not paranoid or consider myself naive, but I do try to be sensitive as the poster might come across linked posts and pull away from the forums. Since the post has been linked now, tell me how my post would have helped you more in full context.

Actually, now I'm thinking about going over all my posts and editing out personal stuff and I been quite open here. Once what seems like centeries ago now, my wife and I where involved in a marriage encounter program where we shared very personal information in a way that others might relate to in their own relationships. We didn't ask to join but were recruited as the program may have saved our marriage. It was that experience that demonstrated to me that others do relate and do act. And I can attest that everything I have shared is absolutely true.

BTW, Happy Anniversary to my beautiful bride and I with 42 years of wedded bliss today! I look at her and wonder how she could possibly have picked such on old guy (edit: only 1 actual year older), but then I see the 2 kids (us) in the pictures and they are just as happy with each other as we are today.

I agree with being sensitive to "medical peer-help" and hoped to highlight our forum as being in the public domain. Sometimes our familiarity leads to open discussions and we forget we're open to worldwide viewing. I'm trying to help everyone keep this in mind - that was my intent in posting the thread to the other forum. Hopefully, it was taken as that instead of an ethical compromise.

I too am an encourager of quoting credible resources. I think personal experience is valued along with studies from credible sources.

BTW, very happy anniversary to you both.

[Georgio]

I have been experiencing eye discomfort.....more and more the last couple years with the onset on apnea. It was one of my earliest symptoms. Dr. says eyes are fine.

I attribute it to just being tired like the rest of my body.....I hope cpap with help.