Air pollution is linked to two serious eye conditions, study finds
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People who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution are more likely to develop two common age-related eye conditions, according to a study.
While there is strong evidence that exposure to polluted air is harmful to the heart and lungs, research now suggests it can also lead to glaucoma and cataracts.
Researchers analysed 41 separate studies, drawing on data from millions of people in the UK and from across East Asia.
They looked at levels of several types of air pollution, including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide.
They then compared them with rates of glaucoma, cataracts and age- related macular degeneration.
The research showed that the higher the levels of fine particulate matter – the tiny particles in smoke, vehicle exhaust and industrial pollution small enough to penetrate deep into the body – the greater the risk of glaucoma.
Occurring when the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, is damaged, glaucoma can lead to vision loss if not diagnosed and treated early. It affects as many as a million people in the UK.
Researchers found that those living in the most polluted areas had up to 70 per cent higher odds of developing the condition compared with those in the least polluted areas.
A study suggests that living in areas with higher air pollution may increase the risk of developing glaucoma and cataracts, two common age-related eye conditions
People living in more polluted areas also faced a consistently higher risk of developing cataracts – where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, causing blurred vision and, in the most serious cases, loss of sight. The level of risk was found to increase alongside pollution exposure.
About one in three people aged over 65 in the UK currently suffer from the condition.
Dr Ahmed Alnabihi, who presented the latest research at the Congress of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, said: ‘Every day we see patients losing vision to conditions such as glaucoma and cataract.
‘These diseases are labelled as age-related, as though ageing is the only culprit, but that always felt incomplete to me.’
Dr Alnabihi, from King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Saudi Arabia, added: ‘If something environmental is accelerating these conditions, that changes our thinking and suggests we could take action to reduce the risks.’
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