2Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Radyoloji A.D., Kırıkkale Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking on the blood flow velocities of the ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery.
Materials and Methods: Forty-nine eyes of 49 (29 male, 22 female) cigarette smokers (at least for 2 years and at least 10 cigarettes a day) constituted the smoker group. Forty eyes of 40 healthy nonsmokers were recruited for the control group. The peak systolic and end-diastolic blood flow velocities and resistivity indices of the ophthalmic artery and central retinal artery were measured in each eye, using color Doppler imaging. The parameters measured in the smokers were compared with those of the healthy nonsmokers.
Results: There was no difference between the groups regarding age, sex, systemic parameters, and intraocular pressure (p>0.05). The mean end-diastolic blood flow velocity was lower (p<0.05) and mean resistivity index was higher in the smokers than in the nonsmokers regarding the ophthalmic artery. In the smoker group, the mean peak systolic and end-diastolic blood flow velocities were lower than those of the nonsmokers in the central retinal artery (p<0.05). The peak systolic blood flow velocity in the ophthalmic artery and resistivity index in the central retinal artery were not different in each group (p>0.05).
Conclusions: This study suggests that cigarette smoking is associated with impaired blood flow in the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries.
Keywords : Smoking, color Doppler imaging, ophthalmic artery, central retinal artery.
