Choroidal thickness in obese women

BACKGROUND: Excessive weight is a well-known risk factor for microvascular diseases. Changes in thickness in a vascular tissue, such as the choroid, can be useful to evaluate the effect of obesity on the microvascular system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) changes in obese women, using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: The prospective clinical study included examination of the right eyes of 72 patients. The right eyes of 68 patients were examined and served as the controls. A complete ophthalmological examination and OCT imaging were performed for each group studied. The CT in each eye was measured using OCT. RESULTS: The obese group consisted of 72 female patients with a mean age of 37.27 ± 1.18 years. The control group included 68 female subjects with a mean age of 37.85 ± 7.98 years (p > 0.05). There was no statistical significant difference for the foveal retinal thickness measurements between the two groups (p > 0.5). Our study revealed significant choroidal tissue thickening subfoveally and at areas 500 μm temporal, 500 μm nasal, and 1500 μm nasal to the fovea in the obese group (all p < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between body mass index (BMI) and CT changes. CONCLUSIONS: CT may increase in obese women and a positive correlation was found between BMI and CT. The trial protocol was approved by the Local Ethical Committee of the Kırıkkale University, date of registration: April 27, 2015 (registration number: 10/11).