Blind individuals are not only handicapped by their loss of vision, but are also affected because the loss of sight may have a secondary impact on functioning of their biological clock. The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of visual loss on sleep/wake disorders. A prospective 48-item questionnaire survey was distributed to blind individuals through the French Association Valentin Haüy, which serves blind persons. A control group matched by age, sex, geographical location and professional activity/non-activity was obtained from a panel of 20000 households representative of the French population, and this group also completed the questionnaire. From a potential blind population of 1500 subjects, 1073 questionnaires (71.5%) were completed and usable for analysis, and from a potential 1000 control subjects, 794 (79.4%) of the questionnaires were returned and analysed. Criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th revision, and the International Classification of Sleep/Wake Disorders (1990) were used to determine pathology. Individuals determined to be ‘totally blind’ and ‘almost blind’ (i.e. with less than 10% vision left in only one eye) presented a significantly higher occurrence of sleep/wake disorders than controls. Nocturnal sleep disruption, daytime somnolence, and (to a lesser degree) a ‘free-running’ condition are significantly more common in blind individuals. There is an increased use of sleeping pills, and a higher incidence of inappropriate involuntary daily naps. In conclusion, individuals with blindness report a significant curtailment of total sleep time and hence resulting daytime somnolence, which impacts on daytime activities. A ‘free-running’ condition is also a common sleep/wake impairment that may compound the handicap of blindness.
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Research Article|
June 17 1999
Prevalence of sleep/wake disorders in persons with blindness
Damien LEGER;
Damien LEGER
*Centre du Sommeil, Hotel Dieu, 75001 Paris, France
†Stanford Sleep Disorders Center, Stanford University, 401Quarry Road, Suite 3301A, Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.
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Christian GUILLEMINAULT;
†Stanford Sleep Disorders Center, Stanford University, 401Quarry Road, Suite 3301A, Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.
Correspondence:Dr Christian Guilleminault.
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Remy DEFRANCE;
Remy DEFRANCE
‡IRIS,92415 Courbevoile, France
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Michel PAILLARD
Michel PAILLARD
*Centre du Sommeil, Hotel Dieu, 75001 Paris, France
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 04 1999
Revision Received:
March 19 1999
Accepted:
April 22 1999
Online ISSN: 1470-8736
Print ISSN: 0143-5221
The Biochemical Society and the Medical Research Society © 1999
1999
Clin Sci (Lond) (1999) 97 (2): 193–199.
Article history
Received:
January 04 1999
Revision Received:
March 19 1999
Accepted:
April 22 1999
Citation
Damien LEGER, Christian GUILLEMINAULT, Remy DEFRANCE, Alain DOMONT, Michel PAILLARD; Prevalence of sleep/wake disorders in persons with blindness. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 August 1999; 97 (2): 193–199. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/cs0970193
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