Confocal scanning of the optic laser Doppler flowmetry nerve in smokers

The many smoking-induced changes are diffuse and include, but are not limit ed to, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular accidents. Cigarette smo king has even been suggested to be an important risk factor in the developm ent of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare confocal scanning laser Doppler flowme ter parameters between otherwise healthy smokers and healthy nonsmokers. Co nfocal scanning laser Doppler flowmeter parameters were assessed in 58 heal thy nonsmokers acid 20 otherwise healthy smokers in a middle-aged populatio n. An analysis of covariance (covariate: age) disclosed decreased values fo r all confocal scanning laser Doppler flowmeter parameters ('Volume': p<0.0 36; 'Flow': p<0.019; 'Velocity': p<0.023) in smokers. The present study sug gests that healthy smokers might have reduced confocal scanning laser Doppl er flowmeter parameters at the optic nerve.