Beware: Snoring Can Affect Your Eyes

People who often snore are at risk of higher blood pressure, strokes, heart attack, and of course relationship strains. If that’s not enough to look into ways to get your snoring treated, you may be interested to know that snoring can also have a dangerous effect on your eyes.

People who snore often may have a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, a life-altering condition, in which a person unknowingly stops breathing during sleep, or has oxygen-dipping events throughout the night.

This lack of oxygen affects the body negatively in many ways.  In relation specifically to eyes, people with obstructive sleep apnea are at risk for:

• Floppy Eye Syndrome
• Normal tension glaucoma
• CPAP associated – eye strain
• Asthenopia (generalized eye discomfort)
• Papilledema (swelling of the optic nerve)
• NAION (decreased oxygen and blood flow to optic nerve)

These last 2 conditions can lead to vision loss.

Also, some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Fatigue
• Tiredness
• Eye strain
• Morning headaches

These common symptoms of snoring and apnea are often confused with eye problems.

If you are snoring or have a family history of snoring, consider treatment and evaluation for your particular situation. If you are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above and sleeping disorders have been ruled out, it may be time to get your eyes evaluated.