Bariatric surgery improves retinal microvasculature in obesity

Adults with obesity who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy exhibited improvements to the vascular structure of the retina in the 6 months after surgery, study data show.

Retinal microvasculature changes reflect damage from obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other chronic diseases, and the effect of weight loss induced by bariatric surgery on eye health are relatively unknown, Robyn J. Tapp, PhD, head of the ocular epidemiology unit at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues wrote in an abstract presenting the findings. The researchers analyzed data from 22 adults with obesity scheduled for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy (mean age, 43 years; mean BMI, 40.8 kg/m²) and 15 age-matched controls (mean age, 45 years; mean BMI, 22.6 kg/m²) collected from eye exams at baseline and 6 months. Exams included fundus photography and retinal microvasculature analysis using a semi-automated computer program.

At 6 months, mean weight loss for the surgery group was 26 kg.

Researchers found that central retinal artery equivalent arteriolar caliber increased from a mean of 136 m to 141 m (P < .012), and the central retinal vein equivalent caliber decreased a mean of 203 m to 197 m (P < .046) in the bariatric surgery group at 6 months, with no change in central retinal artery equivalent or central retinal vein equivalent for controls.

The arteriolar to venular ratio increased in the bariatric surgery group from a mean of 0.67 to 0.72 (P = .002), with no change in the control group. There were no changes in the surgery group for tortuosity, branching angles or fractal dimension, according to researchers.

“The findings suggest obesity-related impairments in retinal arteriolar narrowing and venular widening are reversible after bariatric surgery inducing weight loss,” the researchers wrote. “The capacity for the retinal microvasculature to improve following bariatric surgery furthers our understanding of the plasticity of the retinal microvasculature early in the disease course.” – by Regina Schaffer

Reference:

Tapp RJ, et al. Abstract 1047. Presented at: European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting; Sept. 11-15, 2017; Lisbon, Portugal.

Disclosure: Tapp reports no relevant financial disclosures.