Abstract
Purpose :
Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is known for its impact on ocular health. Previously, it has been implicated in astigmatism in preschool children. However, the following remains unclear: the magnitude and severity associated, whether corneal astigmatism (CA) is affected, and whether the risk is independent of myopia and parental astigmatism. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based study to explore the changes in risks and magnitudes of refractive (RA) and CA in relation to SHS exposure.
Methods :
A seven-year cross-sectional study was conducted among 11545 children aged 6-8 years (mean ± SD, 7.35 ± 0.88 years), excluding participants with congenital diseases, ocular diseases or prior ocular surgery. Cycloplegic autorefraction was used. The accompanying parent completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, and parental history of smoking and astigmatism. Risk and magnitude of RA and CA associated with SHS exposure were estimated by multivariate logistic regression and multivariate linear regression respectively. Age, sex, spherical power and parental astigmatism were adjusted in the analyses.
Results :
Of 11545 participants, 3056 (26.47%) were exposed to parental smoking. Analysis showed that parental smoking is associated with a 1.12-fold risk of RA (95% CI, [1.01- 1.23]; p<0.05), or by a magnitude of 0.029D (SE, 0.014; p<0.05) in children. Risk of RA rises to 1.61-fold if both parents smoke (95% CI, [1.25-2.16]; p<0.001). Regarding the effect of SHS exposure due to a particular parent, maternal smoking contributes to increased risk of RA (OR [95%CI], 1.49 [1.20, 1.84]; p<0.001), and with a 0.12D increase in RA magnitude (SE, 0.034; p<0.001) and CA (β, 0.08D; SE, 0.035; p<0.05). Paternal smoking is associated with risk of RA (OR [95% CI], 1.11 [1.00, 1.22]; p<0.05). The above associations are independent of myopia and parental astigmatism.
Conclusions :
Parental smoking is independently associated with increased risk and magnitude of RA, but not CA, in children after emmetropisation. The results suggest that mechanisms related to visual feedback or internal compensation may be involved in the influence of SHS exposure to astigmatism.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.