Secondhand smoke linked with thinner retinal nerve fiber layer in children

Exposure to secondhand smoke in children was associated with a thinner peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (p-RNFL), potentially increasing the risk of future visual impairment, according to a study.

In this cross-sectional study, a cohort of 3103 children between 6 and 8 years of age from the the population-based Hong Kong Children Eye Study were included. A total of 1097 of these children were exposed to secondhand smoke. Children exposed to secondhand smoke had similar age, gender, body mass index, birth weight, and axial length as the children in the HKCES cohort who did not. Exposed children had lower family income and lower parental education level.

After the above factors were adjusted for, exposure to secondhand smoke was associated with a thinner global p-RNFL by 4.4 μm (P < 0.001), with reduced p-RNFL also linked to an increased number of smokers in the family and more exposure to secondhand smoke.

Reference
Li J, Yuan N, Chu WK, et al. Exposure to secondhand smoke in children is associated with a rhinner retinal nerve fiber Layer: The Hong Kong Children Eye Study. AM J Ophthalmol. 2020; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2020.10.016