2M.D. Asistant, Okmeydanı Training and Research Hospital, Eye Clinic, İstanbul/TURKEY
3M.D., Sutcu Imam University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Kahramanmaras/TURKEY Purpose: To determine the effect of 2.5% phenylephrine, which is commonly used for mydriasis, on the retinal vessel diameters.
Materials and Methods: Sympathomimetic phenylephrine 2.5% was instilled to randomly selected eye, and parasympatholytic tropicamide known to have no effect on retinal vessel diameters to the fellow eye for the pupil dilatation, in 22 healthy young adults. A color fundus photograph was taken by another researcher blindly. Retinal artery (RAE) and vein equivalents (RVE) and the artery / vein ratios (AVR) were determined by using software and methods developed by Hubbard at al. Data were compared with paired t-test by using SPSS 17.0 software.
Results: Mean RAE was 183.04±25.98 and 185.44±21.55 in the eyes dilated with phenylephrine and tropicamide, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Mean RVE was 240.38±38.70 in the phenylephrine and 242.19±31.15 in the tropicamide group.The difference was not significant (p>0.05). AVR was calculated as 0.767±0.075 and 0.772±0.078 in parallel with other results.
Conclusion: In normal individuals, artery and vein diameters were found to be thinner in eyes dilated with phenylephrine than those dilated with tropicamide. Even though this difference was not statistically significant, it should be taken into account for studies focusing on the retinal vessel diameters.
Keywords : Retinal vessel diameters, mydriatic, sympathomimetic, parasympatholytic