The effect of cigarette smoking on retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with migraine


Demirci S., Gunes A., DEMİRCİ S., KUTLUHAN S., TÖK L., TÖK Ö.

CUTANEOUS AND OCULAR TOXICOLOGY, vol.35, no.1, pp.21-25, 2016 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 35 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.3109/15569527.2014.1003935
  • Journal Name: CUTANEOUS AND OCULAR TOXICOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.21-25
  • Keywords: Migraine, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, smoking, ASSOCIATION
  • Akdeniz University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Context: Migraine is a frequent and disabling chronic neurological condition with complex pathophysiology. Both cigarette smoking and migraine may cause damage to the optic nerve. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with migraine.Materials and methods: Eighty-four consecutive patients diagnosed with migraine (34 smokers and 50 nonsmokers) and 66 age- and gender-matched healthy non-smoker controls were enrolled for this observational cross-sectional study. RNFL thickness was measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and then RNFL thickness in patients with migraine who smoke was compared to nonsmoking patients with migraine and healthy subjects.Results: The average, superior, nasal and inferior RNFL thicknesses were significantly thinner in patients with migraine compared to the control group (p<0.001, p=0.02, p<0.001 and p=0.04, respectively). The average and inferior RNFL thicknesses were significantly reduced in smoker patients with migraine compared to the nonsmokers (p=0.011, p=0.045, respectively). Nonsmoker patients with migraine had significantly thinner average and nasal RNFL thicknesses than the control group (p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively).Conclusion: Cigarette smoking may cause significant RNFL thinning in patients with migraine. OCT may be a feasible technique for determination of smoking-induced ocular damage in patients with migraine.