Background: The prevalence of obesity, a chronic disease, is increasing, and obesity is now considered a global epidemic. Eye diseases are also increasing worldwide and have serious repercussions on quality of life as well as increasingly high costs for the community. The relationships between obesity and ocular pathologies are not yet well clarified and are not pathologically homogeneous: they seem to be somehow linked to excess body fat, especially to the distribution of adipose tissue and its ectopic deposits. Purpose: Our objective was to examine the associations between obesity and anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and the waist/hip ratio (WHR), and the risk of most widespread eye diseases, with particular attention given to the most significant metabolic mechanisms. Methods: This article provides a narrative overview of the effect of obesity and anthropometric measurements of body fat on prevalent eye diseases. We used the MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases from 1984 to 2024. In addition, we hand-searched references from the retrieved articles and explored a number of related websites. A total of 153 publications were considered. Results: There is significant evidence that obesity is associated with several eye diseases. Waist circumference (WC) and the waist/hip ratio (WHR) have been observed to have stronger positive associations with eye diseases than BMI. Conclusions: Obesity must be considered a significant risk factor for eye diseases; hence, a multidisciplinary and multidimensional approach to treating obesity, which also affects ocular health, is important. In the prevention and treatment of eye diseases related to obesity, lifestyle factors, especially diet and physical activity, as well as weight changes, both weight loss and weight gain, should not be overlooked. Level of evidence: Level V narrative review.
Background: Sturge–Weber syndrome (SWS) typically presents with a port-wine stain on the face, accompanied by leptomeningeal capillary malformations and ocular vascular anomalies. The aim of our study was to evaluate retinal vascular density and vessel diameter to better characterize the presence of vascular alterations. Methods: 15 patients diagnosed with Sturge–Weber syndrome and 15 healthy controls underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluation, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), to evaluate the microvascular architecture of the retina and choroid. Results: Analysis of the processed images revealed a significant increase (p < 0.05 *) in the density of the deep capillary plexus in patients with SWS compared to healthy controls. Vascular diameter was found to be increased overall in several retinal vascular plexuses in SWS patients compared to controls, reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05 *) in the deep vascular complex. Conclusions: The findings from our analysis highlight the potential role of OCTA in predicting the progression or worsening of ocular diseases over time. The introduction of new assessment parameters offers additional perspectives in evaluating ocular health. Since this examination allows for the detection of changes in the morphology and density of blood vessels as revealed by OCTA, these changes can be correlated with disease progression and the effectiveness of therapies.