Sleep regularity and age-related eye disease in 78,839 UK Biobank adults
In a UK Biobank cohort with device-measured sleep, lower sleep regularity was associated with higher risks of age-related macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma, but not retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. These are associations, not proof of cause. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The study included 78,839 UK Biobank adults and measured sleep regularity with the sleep regularity index. [1]
A lower sleep regularity index was associated with higher risks of age-related macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma, but not retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. [1]
A higher sleep regularity index correlated with greater macular, retinal ganglion cell and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Prospective cohort analysis (abstract)
- Population / context
- 78,839 adults in the UK Biobank with device-measured sleep data
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 1, 2026
Sleep regularity index in UK Biobank adults
The study asked whether sleep regularity, a circadian dimension of sleep health, relates to ocular aging. It included 78,839 adults in the UK Biobank and quantified sleep regularity with the sleep regularity index (SRI). Associations with five age-related eye diseases were examined using Cox models, restricted cubic splines, subgroup analyses and propensity-score matching; retinal structural and vascular metrics were also evaluated.
Supporting source [1]
Lower SRI linked to AMD, cataract and glaucoma
A lower SRI was consistently associated with higher risks of age-related macular degeneration (hazard ratio 0.87), cataract (0.95) and glaucoma (0.89), with clear dose-response patterns. No robust associations were found for retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. A higher SRI correlated with greater macular, retinal ganglion cell and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses and with more favorable retinal vascular geometry. Adding the SRI improved prediction for AMD, cataract and glaucoma (area under the curve 0.72–0.74), and the SRI declined markedly with increasing ocular multimorbidity.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope of these associations
The abstract describes a prospective UK Biobank analysis with device-measured sleep data. It reports associations only; it does not show that irregular sleep causes eye disease. The abstract does not give follow-up length, detailed adjustment, or full model results, and the full text was not reviewed. The authors describe sleep regularity as a potential adjunctive marker for prevention-oriented risk stratification, not as an established preventive intervention.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Associations are not causal, and follow-up length, detailed adjustment and full model results are not reported in the abstract.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Cui X, Yuan J, Zhao Q, Yu-Wai-Man P, Zheng T. · europepmc.org · September 1, 2026