Decreased Heidelberg Retina Flowmeter (HRF) parameter “flow” at the papilla shortly after smoking a cigarette

Abstract

The results of the present study suggest that smoking a cigarette can affect the HRF-parameter "Flow" at the papilla. The clinical implication of such an observation needs further investigations.

Smoking and Ocular Disease-an Update

“…Decreased blood flow at the papilla has been demonstrated by Lietz-Partzch A et al, 20 as recorded by the Heidelberg retina flowmeter, shortly after smoking a cigarette. The association of smoking with Ocular ischemic syndrome was seen in a case reported to have sub acute painful visual loss in which there was a common carotid artery occlusion but no cerebral involvement.…”

The Affects of Smoking on Cataract Formation in Turkish Patients

“…Cigarette smoke is a mixture of thousands of chemicals including the particles such as nicotine, volatile chemicals such as formaldehyde, and gases such as carbon monoxide [6]. In addition to reported side effects of smoking on almost all layers of the eye [8][9][10][11], many molecular mechanisms were suggested for enhancing cataract formations [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. One of those mechanisms is impairment of alpha-crystallin protein structure which is a major protein in the lens.…”

“…After prolonged smoking, ocular side effects in addition to systemic diseases and various malignancies caused by chemical ingredients are known so far [6,7]. These ocular side effects shown previously include irritation to the ocular surface, cataract formation, and progression, increased intraocular pressure, vasoconstriction in the ophthalmic artery, decreased ocular perfusion pressure, higher risk, rate, and severity of Grave's ophthalmopathy, formation and progression of age-related macular degeneration [8][9][10][11]. As it is a preventable risk factor, the association between smoking and cataracts is important.…”