Evaluation of the acute changes in objective accommodation, pupil size and ocular wavefront aberrations after cigarette smoking

Abstract

Context: The acute effects of cigarette smoking on pupil size and ocular wavefront aberrations (OWA) have been previously documented. The accommodation status of the eye is well known to be related to ocular aberrations. No previous study has evaluated the impact of cigarette smoking on the accommodation status of the eye. This study presents intriguing findings regarding the changes in objective accommodation of the eye after cigarette smoking.Objective: To evaluate the acute changes in objective accommodation and OWA after cigarette smoking.Materials and methods: A total of 34 otherwise healthy cigarette smoker participants were included in this prospective study. All subjects smoked a single cigarette containing 1 mg nicotine. Measurements of pupil size, OWA and objective accommodation were done before and after smoking. A Wavefront Aberrometer device (Irx3, Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) was used for the measurements.Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.6 ± 10.3 years (range 21–51 years). Pupil size did not significantly differ before (mean 5.72 ± 1.21 mm) and after smoking (mean 5.68 ± 1.14 mm) (p = 0.62). However, a significant decrease was observed in total spherical aberration (TSA) of the eye after smoking (p = 0.01). There was an increase in objective accommodation after smoking at each accommodative stimulus (range 0–5). This increment was significant at 2 D (p = 0.02) and 3 D (p = 0.03) of stimulus.Discussion and conclusions: The TSA of the eye significantly decreases after smoking. Cigarette smoking also causes a significant increase in objective accommodation at 2 D and 3 D of stimulus.