Evaluation of the effect of cigarette smoking on retina and choroid: An optical coherence tomography angiography study

Abstract

Purpose: To study the effect of active cigarette smoking on retinal and choroidal micro‐vascularization using Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (SS‐OCT A). Methods: This is a cross‐sectional, observational, comparative study carried out at the Ophthalmology department of Habib Thameur University Hospital of Tunis. Twelve eyes of “healthy” smokers, 10 eyes of former smokers (less than 3 years after quitting smoking) and 6 eyes of healthy non‐smokers controls were included. SS‐OCT A 3 × 3 mm angiograms were exported and analysed with image J, Fiji Software. Perimeter of avascular central zone (ACZ), superficial retinal plexus density (SRPD), deep retinal plexus density (DRPC) and choriocapillaris capillary vessel density (CVD) were calculated and analysed. Comparative Kruskal Wallis and Spearman tests were performed using 21.0 SPSS. Results: Volunteers with a smoking history had an average of 13.75 ± 10.26 pack‐years. The mean smoking period was 3.2 ± 5.13 years and mean smoking cessation period was 1.28 ± 0.85 years. Mean ACZ, SRPD, DRPD and CVD were respectively 2.62 ± 0.52 mm, 13.20 ± 2.10%, 17.14 ± 1.17% and 51.05 ± 0.85%. There was no significant difference between the three groups for the measurements of ACZ, SRPD, DRPD and CVD (p = 0.57, p = 0.97, p = 0.53 and p = 0.07; respectively). However, there was a significant positive correlation between the smoking cessation period and the DRPD (p = 0.003, r = 0.865). Conclusions: Despite the known effects of nicotine and other chemical substances in cigarettes on peripheral vascular structures, no significant difference in quantitative analysis of retinal and choroidal networks could be found. Deep retinal plexus density seems to increase after long smoking cessation periods.