THE EFFECT OF CIGARETTE SMOKING ON CORNEAL ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

Document Type : Original articles: include clinical trials, interventional research, Basic researches and clinically relevant laboratory investigations

Authors

Ophthalmology dept.., Faculty of Medicine, Sohag Univ., Sohag, Egypt

Abstract

Purpose: To reveal the effect of cigarette smoking on corneal endothelial cells. Patients and
methods
: this is a case control cross sectional study including 99 persons, 61 chronic cigarette
smokers and another age matched 38 control nonsmokers. Parameters used in our study were
cell density (CD), polymegethism, pleomorphism, the average of cell size, and central corneal
thickness (CCT).
Results: The mean values of the CD were 2829.9±334.9 compared to
3243.6
±237.9, CV were 44.13±9.73 compared to 32.84±2.97, HEX were 40.44±6.95% compared to
60.11
±5.83% for smokers and non-smoker groups respectively, with a highly statistically significant
value (p <0.001) and on the other hand values were statistically non-significant regarding CCT.
There were non-significant relation between the type of smoking (cigarette, shisha or combined).
Conclusion: Cigarette smoking has deteriorating effects on some, but not all, of the corneal
endothelial measures, with no relation found between this deteriorating effect and both of the
dose or type of smoking.


Keywords