Influence of tobacco during pregnancy in the optic nerve development

Abstract

Purpose Evaluate the influence of intrauterine exposure to tobacco in the development of visual function and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in school‐age children. Methods Retrospective cohort study with children from 5 to 14 years old. The studied subjects were divided into two groups according to the antecedent of exposure to tobacco during pregnancy: children of cigarette smoking mothers during pregnancy (exposed) and children of non‐smoking mothers (not exposed). In both groups were assessed visual acuity (VA), Ishihara test and RNFL average thickness obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The mean and standard deviation of the variables were calculated, and U Mann‐Whitney test was performed for comparison of data. Results 48 children were studied, 25 boys and 23 girls. The exposed group was composed of 8 children and 40 were in the non‐exposed group. The evaluation of the visual function (VA and Ishihara test), showed no statistically significant differences between groups. However, the RNFL average thickness was of 94.64 and 103.88 microm for the exposed and non‐exposed group, respectively; these data showed statistically significant differences between both values. Conclusion The intrauterine exposure to tobacco is associated with a poor development of the optic nerve. This fact determines a lower RNFL thickness measured by OCT.