The Relationship between Sleep Quality and Structural Changes in Patients with Glaucoma

Abstract

Aims: The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of sleep in glaucoma patients, and to determine its correlations with structural changes . Study Design: This is a case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: Ufuk University Faculty of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara between March 2023 and September 2023. Methodology: Forty three patients with the diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and 27 healthy control subjects were enrolled. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI). Their mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer thickness (GCL) were measured. PSQI scores were compared, and the association between PSQI  and RNFL, GCL were analyzed. Results: Subjects with PSQI score of >=5 were significantly more in the glaucoma group than the control group (26 (60.47%) vs 7 (25.93%) (P=.005). The mean RNFL  (72.79± 10.65µm) and the mean GCL (65.69± 10.45µm) of the glaucoma group were significantly less than the control group (89,35±6,85 and 75,14±4,27 respectively) (P< .001and P< .001, respectively). By using multiple linear regression analyses, correlation coefficients in relation with PSQI for age, mean RNFL and mean GCL showed low or non-significant correlation (0.07, 0.12, and 0.04, respectively, and all had P values > .05) in the glaucoma group. Conclusion: The current study implied that the glaucoma patients had significantly impaired sleep quality. However, the presence of structural damage to the RNFL and GCL thickness were not significantly associated with sleep quality in patients with glaucoma.