Due to the strong condition between DED and sleep apnea, researchers of a recent study suggest that eye checks should be included in the routine care of sleep apnea patients.


It's been shown that obstructive sleep apnea doesn’t just affect sleep—the condition may also affect ocular health, including dry eye disease (DED). In a recent study presented at ARVO 2025 in Salt Lake City, researchers examined whether people with sleep apnea are more likely to have DED; they found that dry eye was indeed significantly more common in people with the condition, even after accounting for other health issues like diabetes and obesity—suggesting a strong connection between the two conditions.

Obstructive sleep apnea was found to be significantly associated with a higher risk of DED. Obstructive sleep apnea patients were more likely to have obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hypothyroidism and cardiovascular disease. A total of 17.9% of sleep apnea patients subjects showed evidence of dry eye, compared with  6.1% in matched controls.


Zhang A, He J, Ying G-S. Association of sleep apnea with dry eye disease in the All-of-Us Program. ARVO 2025 annual meeting.