Abstract
Purpose :
Nicotine can affect cellular metabolic states and is considered as a high-risk factor for various retinal diseases. The aim of this study is to determine, whether nicotine causes a change in the fluorescence lifetime (FLT) of the healthy ocular fundus using fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO).
Methods :
Twenty eight smokers (≥5 cigarettes/day, >2 years) aged between 20 and 37 years and 26 age-matched nonsmokers without systemic or retinal diseases were investigated. All participants were examined with routine ocular examinations including optical coherence tomography and FLIO (473 nm excitation, detection with the short spectral channel (SSC, 498-560 nm) and the long spectral channel (LSC, 560-720 nm)). FLT was analyzed for the macular areas using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid.
Results :
Compared to the non-smoking group, the smoking group showed significantly longer FLT (mean FLT: τm) in the SSC's inner ring of the ETDRS grid (Median: 211 ps non-smokers vs. 221 ps smokers), and a shorter τm in the LSC's outer nasal (244 ps non-smokers vs. 232 ps smokers) and outer superior (238 ps non-smokers vs. 227 ps smokers) (p<0.05). Variance analysis indicated a significant dose-dependent correlation between τm in the LSC and the cumulative nicotine dose, while an increased nicotine dose correlates with a shorter τm in the outer ring. There was no difference in retinal thickness between both groups and no correlation was found between retinal thickness and τm.
Conclusions :
The results suggest a significant influence of smoking on the FLT of the ocular fundus, which might indicate metabolic or hemodynamic changes of retinal tissues by nicotine consumption.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.