Association of Choroidal Thickness with Sleep Deprivation in Night-Shift Healthcare Workers

Background Good vision is an important factor for most night-shift personnel, and the effects of sleep deprivation on visual function must be studied. Up to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the effect of nigh working on choroidal indices.Objectives In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on choroidal thickness.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 night-shift healthcare workers of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) army medical core. Baseline choroidal thickness was measured for all participants using optical coherence tomography (OCT), and at the same time (10 AM to 2 PM) a day following the night shift, participants underwent a second measurement of choroidal thickness. The awake time before the second measurement was recorded.Results The mean age ± standard deviation of the participants was 42.55 ± 5.52 that 52% were female. A statistically significant increase in choroidal thickness was recorded following night-shift (P = 0.001). Choroidal thickness following night-shift significantly correlated with age (r = -0.614; p = 0.001), awake time (r = 0.417; P = 0.003) and with baseline thickness of choroid (r = 0.830; P = 0.001).Conclusions It seems that sleep deprivation may increase choroidal thickness, and the awake time may a predictor of choroidal thickness change after the night shift.