Sleeping too much could cause blindness

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March 14, 2016 11:31 AM

Eye doctors have warned that sleeping too much could cause you to go blind.

Sleeping too much could cause blindness

Research has revealed that getting more than eight hours a night can lead to macular degeneration - the leading cause for blindness in the UK.

While there’s no pain, it sees a deterioration of the macula - the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail - making driving and reading near impossible.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease that gradually destroys sharp, central vision. It’s the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over age 60.

Those who sleep in longer are also seven times more likely to suffer from geographic atrophy, the advanced stages of the condition.

Research by doctor Rahul N. Khurana, of the Northern California Retina Vitreous Associates, assessed patients with and without the disease.

Dr Khurana surveyed 1003 patients and assessed their sleep patterns, publishing his findings in the journal Retina.

He said: “The mean sleep duration for patients without AMD was 7.97 hours, compared with 8.17 hours, 9.00 hours, and 8.97 hours, respectively, for those with early AMD, neovascular AMD, and geographic atrophy.

“The altered sleep patterns illustrate another morbidity that patients with AMD suffer from, and merit further investigation.”

These findings come after scientists found that sleeping face down on your pillow could also lead to sight loss.

Pressing your face into a pillow while you sleep could cause a condition called glaucoma, which worryingly goes undiagnosed in thousands of people every year.

Doctors recommends regular, in-depth eye examinations by an optometrist at least once every two years for those in their 40s.

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