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Smoking found to be associated with long anterior zonule trait
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SAN FRANCISCO - In a study of nearly 100 patients, smokers were more likely to exhibit long anterior zonule trait than nonsmokers, while no association was found with blood pressure or diabetes.
Daniel K. Roberts, OD, PhD, FAAO, reported his study results involving 48 African-Americans with long anterior zonule (LAZ) trait and 48 without during an American Academy of Optometry-sponsored press conference at Academy 2010.
Patients who were a current or past smoker were 2.7 times more likely to have LAZ than those who never smoked, he reported.
"LAZ seems to be associated with plateau iris configuration," Dr. Roberts said at the press conference. "This can cause narrow-angle glaucoma. Surgeons don't like to do cataract surgery on these patients.
"We looked to characterize patients to see if there were any general health variables associated with LAZ trait," he said.
Researchers considered smoking, body mass index, diabetes and hypertension.
"It was a surprise that smoking appeared to be associated with this condition, but that there was no association with blood pressure or diabetes," he said. "The association seemed to strengthen with a younger age group. The younger someone presented with the condition, the stronger the association."