Evaluation of Foveal Avascular Zone and Capillary Plexus in Smokers Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Emine Çiloğlu; Fikret Unal; Emine Alyamac Sukgen; Yusuf Kocluk; Nese Cetin Dogan

doi:10.1016/j.joco.2019.09.002

Evaluation of Foveal Avascular Zone and Capillary Plexus in Smokers Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

J Curr Ophthalmol. 2020 Mar 23;32(1):53-57. doi: 10.1016/j.joco.2019.09.002. eCollection 2020 Jan-Mar.

Authors

Emine Çiloğlu¹, Fikret Unal¹, Emine Alyamac Sukgen¹, Yusuf Kocluk¹, Nese Cetin Dogan¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the macular microvasculature in smokers in comparison to healthy subjects using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: Fifty chronic, regular smokers and 50 healthy non-smokers, as a control group, were recruited for the study. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area (mm²) and vessel density (VD) (%) in the superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were evaluated.

Results: FAZ area was 0.424 ± 0.100 mm² in the smoker group and 0.333 ± 0.093 mm² in the non-smoking control group (P = 0.002). The deep foveal VD was 31.76 ± 6.33% in the smoker group and 53.09 ± 5.88% in the non-smoking control group (P = 0.006). Superficial foveal and parafoveal, deep parafoveal VD were not statistically different between the groups (P = 0.120), (P = 0.337), (P = 0.287), respectively.

Conclusion: In our study, there was an enlargement of FAZ and reduction of foveal VD at DCP in the eyes of smokers compared with non-smoking adults.

Keywords: Capillary plexus; Foveal avascular zone; Optical coherence tomography angiography; Smoking; Vessel density.