Obstructive sleep apnea and fundus vascular injury
10.3980/j.issn.1672-5123.2025.8.06
- VernacularTitle:阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停与眼底血管损伤
- Author:
Yichun WANG
1
;
Kang ZHANG
1
;
Ya LIANG
1
;
Ning DING
1
Author Information
1. Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu Province, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
obstructive sleep apnea;
fundus vascular;
central retinal artery;
retinal veins;
retinal vein obstruction;
retinal microvasculature;
choroid
- From:
International Eye Science
2025;25(8):1247-1252
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The ocular fundus vasculature, serving as a critical window for monitoring disease progression, represents one of the primary targets of hypoxic injury. A growing body of evidence suggests associations between specific ocular vascular pathologies and sleep-disordered breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)has been implicated in fundus lesions through its detrimental effects on the central retinal artery, retinal veins, retinal microvasculature, and choroidal vessels. Mechanistically, these effects are linked to OSA-induced intermittent hypoxia, which drives hemodynamic disturbances, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, altered blood composition, endothelial dysfunction, and neuroendocrine/metabolic dysregulation. This review synthesizes current evidence on OSA-related retinal vascular injury and elucidates its mechanistic pathways. The goal is to identify sensitive and specific retinal vascular biomarkers to facilitate the early detection of OSA and its associated complications.
