Assessing the relationship between different sleep traits and retinal neurodegenerative diseases: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

his bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study assessed causal relationships between sleep traits (chronotype, sleep duration, insomnia) and retinal neurodegenerative diseases (RNDs), including open-angle glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Using genome-wide association study data and inverse variance weighting, we found chronotype significantly increased DR risk (OR: 1.60, p = 0.023). Reverse MR showed AMD was inversely associated with short sleep duration and chronotype. Sensitivity analyses supported result robustness. Mediation analysis identified six traits potentially linking chronotype to DR. These findings suggest sleep-related traits may be modifiable risk factors in RNDs, offering insights for early prevention and intervention.