Abstract
Purpose:
Although cigarette smoking has been identified as a major risk factor for atherosclerotic complications in coronary, aortic and cerebral circulation, the relationship of cigarette smoking and ocular circulation remain to elucidate in detail. The current study examined the effect of chronic smoking on the retinal microcirculation in patients with type 2 diabetes with early stages of retinopathy.
Methods:
Using a laser Doppler velocimetry system, we obtained the retinal blood flow (RBF) values by simultaneously measuring the retinal vessel diameter and blood velocity in 75 eyes (75 patients, mean age ± standard deviation, 59.5 ± 9.8 years). The retinal vessel parameter was compared among a current-smoker group (n=21), past-smoker group (n=22) and never-smoked group (n=32) in no or mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy of type 2 diabetes.
Results:
We found (P=0.03) significant decreases in RBF with decreased blood velocity (P=0.009) but no difference vessel diameter (P=0.75) in a current-smoker group compared with never-smoked group.
Conclusions:
Our results indicates that the blood velocity and RBF in the retinal arterioles decrease in type 2 diabetes patients with chronic smoking, suggesting chronic smoking is associated with decreased RBF, via lower blood velocity in the retinal arterioles in early-phase diabetic retinopathy.