Smoking linked to hyperopia

Passive smoking in children may influence their refractive error, according to a study in the latest issue of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.

The number of parental cigarettes smoked was matched with urinary levels of cotinine and creatinine in a sample of 300 children. Those with hyperopia had significantly higher urinary cotinine values than the myopes and emmetropes. The authors concluded that passive smoking was related to refractive error and that it should be considered as a risk factor for a hypermetropic shift.

The authors, based at Ain Shams University in Cairo, noted that a causal relationship might have been better evaluated by further follow-up in a smoke-free environment.