Correlation of Visual Field Parameters with Body Mass Index

Abstract

Aim: To determine the correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and visual field parameters.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Duration and Settings of the Study: College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS) Mayo Hospital; Conducted from March 2023 to October 2023.

Methods: Data was collected after approval of the Ethical Review Board of COAVS. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants. The participants were included in the groups based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) which was low, normal or high. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used. The software used for data analysis was SPSS (version 27.00), in which BMI and visual field parameters were correlated using Pearson correlation.

Results: A total of 117 participants (234 eyes) were enrolled, with 39 participants in each BMI group (low, normal, or high). The mean retinal sensitivity was similar across all groups (28.7 ± 1.5 dB in low BMI, 28.5 ± 1.6 dB in normal BMI, and 28.3 ± 1.7 dB in high BMI), showing no significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.11, p = 0.21). Mean Deviation (MD) in the right eye did not correlate significantly with BMI (r = 0.09, p = 0.28). However, a very weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between BMI and MD in the left eye (r = 0.18, p = 0.03). Pattern Standard Deviation (PSD) was also similar across groups (1.6 ± 0.5, 1.7 ± 0.4, and 1.8 ± 0.6 dB, respectively), with no significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.08, p = 0.34).

Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between BMI and visual field parameters, including retinal sensitivity, mean deviation, and pattern standard deviation. A very weak correlation was observed for mean deviation in the left eye only, suggesting no clinically meaningful association.