Key Takeaways

• Cigarette smoking significantly reduces choroidal vascularity, as indicated by a decreased choroidal vascularity index (CVI).
• Smoking increases oxidative stress, affecting vascular endothelium and reducing retinal and choroidal blood flow.
• Meta-analysis shows significant CVI reduction in smokers, suggesting dose-dependency with smoking intensity.
• The impact of smoking on full-retinal thickness (FRT) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) remains inconclusive.
• Findings highlight the importance of smoking cessation for eye health and propose CVI as a noninvasive biomarker.

Miguel A. Quiroz-Reyes, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that cigarette smoking negatively affects the choroidal vascularity, as indicated by a significant reduction of the choroidal vascularity index (CVI).¹

The investigators are from The Retina Department of Oftalmologia Integral ABC Medical and Surgical Nonprofit Organization, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Lomas de Chapultepec, and the Juarez Hospital, Public Assistance Institution, both in Mexico City, Mexico.

They explained that smoking seems to have major ocular effects in that it “increases oxidative stress that affects the vascular endothelium by decreasing the antioxidant vitamin C and disrupting regular nitric oxide activity. Smoking reduces blood flow in the retina and choroid due to increased vascular resistance and compromised choroidal blood flow regulation compared to nonsmokers.”²

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Source: Ophthalmology Times

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