Background: Chronic smoking's impact on ocular healthremains an area of concern, particularly its effect on macularperfusion. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of long-term smoking on macular perfusion using Optical CoherenceTomography Angiography (OCTA). Methods: A prospective,randomized clinical trial was conducted at Benha UniversityHospital's ophthalmology division from January 2020 toDecember 2021. Forty participants were divided into smoking(Group 1) and control (Group 2) groups. Exclusion criteriaincluded systemic and ocular diseases, refractive errors, retinalvasculopathies, ocular surgeries, or media opacity. OCTAassessed macular perfusion, while other ophthalmic parameterswere measured. Results: The smoking group exhibited a highersmoking index (490.00±325.64) and duration (17.30±7.37years) compared to controls. Despite comparable visual acuityand intraocular pressure between groups, smokers demonstratedsignificantly lower superficial and deep layer densities acrossvarious macular regions (p < 0.001). The foveal avascular zone(FAZ) area was notably larger in smokers (p < 0.001),indicating compromised perfusion. Conclusions: DCP's is morevulnerable to oxidative damage and poor perfusion brought bycigarette smoking, which led to a considerable drop in VD of DCP compared to SCP. Inaddition, bigger research examining the long-term effect of smoking on retinalmicrocirculation in the macula may help clarify the significance of smoking as a risk factorfor systemic vascular diseases.
(PDF) Effect of Smoking on Macular Perfusion Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography. |
