ESPE Abstracts

Objective: Obesity and its complications affecting many organ systems have been documented. Nevertheless, study conducted on the ophthalmological effects of obesity are scarce. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the changes in the ophthalmological parameters in obese children in comparison to their healthy counterparts.

Material and methods: Study included 61 obese and 35 age-sex matched controls. Obesity was defined as body mass index- standard deviation (BMI-SDS) >2 SD. Children with a BMI-SDS between >−1 SD and <+1 SD whilst otherwise healthy was recruited as control group. All clinical and ophthalmological investigations were performed by a pediatric endocrinologist and an experienced ophthalmologist. Ophthalmological examination and intraoculer pressure (IOP) measurement was performed. The average retinal fiber layer (RNFL), retinal ganglion cell (RGC), central macular thickness (CMT), cup-to disc ratio (C/D) and central choroidal thickness (CT) were measured using Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Antropometric, biochemical and ophthalmological parameters obese and control subjects were compared.

Results: IOP was higher in obese group compared to the controls (P=0.008), while the average RNFL was lower in obese group (P=0.035). There was a negative correlation between the average RNFL and BMI-SDS (r=−0.203; P=0.044) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) (r=−0.256; P=0.015). There was no statistically significant difference between the RGC, C/D, CMT, CT of obese and control group. IOP was negatively correlated with HOMA-IR, body fat mass, body fat percentage and diastolic blood pressure.

Conclusion: In present study evaluating the obesity and its effects on the ophthalmological parameters, elevated IOP and decreased RNFL thickness detected in obese group may suggest an increased risk of developing glaucoma in younger age in obese children. Therefore, a regular opthalmologic examination of obese children is essential for prompt diagnosis and appropriate management.