Effect of smoking on the thickness of retinal layers in healthy smokers

Purpose: To compare the thicknesses of the retinal layers in smokers with those of nonsmoking healthy subjects using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods: One hundred and eight subjects were included in the study. Two groups were separated as smokers and nonsmokers. Both groups were chosen to be similar in terms of age and gender. SD-OCT images were generated with Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). An automated algorithm was developed to segment the macular retina into eight layers and quantitate the thickness of each layer for the fovea, parafovea and perifovea.

Results: The mean smoking history was 18.33?±?8.45?years (range: 10–40). The mean number of pack-years was 22.22?±?15.51 (range: 10–80). No significant difference was observed regarding retinal layer measurements between the smoker and nonsmoker groups. Also, no significant difference was observed for central macular thicknesses at 1000, 3000, and 6000?μm between two groups.

Conclusion: The thickness of retinal layers in healthy smokers was similar to those of healthy individuals.