New Delhi, November 16 (IANS). According to a study conducted in the US, people living in areas with increased exposure to particulate matter (PM) 10 may have double the risk of developing eye infections.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus showed that exposure to ambient particles (small particles) from air pollution more than doubled medical visits for patients suffering from eye problems.
Ocular surface disease is a disease of the eye surface, affecting the surface of the eye, including the cornea, conjunctiva, and eyelids.
“The World Health Organization has declared climate change the single greatest health threat facing humanity,” said Jennifer Patnaik, assistant professor of epidemiology and ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. There are limited studies on the effects of alcohol on eye health.
In the study, the team examined the association between daily outpatient office visits related to eye irritation and allergies and daily ambient levels of certain substances in the Denver metropolitan area.
About 1,44,313 people suffering from eye irritation and allergies visited ophthalmic clinics. When the PM10 concentration was 110, the number of daily visits was 2.2 times higher than the average, the researchers said. As the concentration increased, the ratio of clinic visit rates also increased.
The research, published in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology, is one of the first studies to look at how climate change could affect the eyes. Patnaik said the health risks of air pollution and climate change lead to a wide range of consequences, including infectious diseases, weather-related morbidity and a variety of lung, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
This study can also be important for India.
–IANS
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