Smoking increases choroidal thickness

Cigarette smoking causes a temporary but significant increase in choroidal thickness, according to research conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey and reported in Current Eye Research.

Seventy subjects were included in this study - 40 who had never smoked and 30 who had smoking histories of at least 10 years. Using spectral domain optical coherence tomography, researchers measured choroidal thicknesses at the fovea and at two points 1500 µm nasal and temporal to the fovea. The non-smoking group was measured as a control; the smoking group was measured before they smoked a cigarette, and at 5, 30 and 60 minutes after smoking.

A statistically significant increase in choroidal thickness was observed between 0 and 5 minutes after smoking at all three points of measurement (p

To read an abstract of the study, click here.