The Correlation between Body Mass Index and Intraocular pressure, Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Visual Field.

Background: Obesity has become a world-wide medical epidemic. it constitutes an important risk for several eye diseases like cataract, diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma. Body mass index (BMI) is one of the most specific and objective measurement to define obesity. Obesity has recently been reported to be negatively associated with visual acuity, but the ocular conditions underlying this association and the potential implications are unclear. Amongst different eye diseases, obesity has been associated with cataract, age-related maculopathy, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Purpose: To investigate the relationship between BMI and IOP and correlate it with changes in RNFL thickness and visual field. Materials and Methods: 60 participants divided into three groups (normal, overweight, and obese) according to BMI, were included in this Cross-Sectional Study (pilot study). Participants underwent a complete ophthalmologic assessment, measurement of RNFL thickness and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness using SD-OCT, IOP with Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and visual field analysis using Humphrey field analyser. Results: IOP was significantly higher in obese group than those in healthy weight and overweight group. Also, IOP was statistically significant higher in overweight group compared with those healthy weight group. There were no significant differences between the three groups in average, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal RNFL thicknesses or in GCC thickness. Yet, GCC thickness in the obese group showed significant negative correlation with BMI. There were no significant differences between the three groups in MD, and VFI. Conclusion: IOP was variable according to the degree of obesity with incremental pattern with advance of BMI. BMI of overweight group had no correlation with IOP, average, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal RNFL thicknesses. While BMI of obese group showed a significant positive correlation with IOP and negative correlation with GCC thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]