Investigating Microplastic Presence in Eye Drops Using Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

IF 1.9 3区医学 Q2 OPHTHALMOLOGY

Cornea Pub Date : 2025-06-20 DOI:10.1097/ICO.0000000000003909

Geraldine Yang, Jerome Ozkan, Minas Coroneo

{"title":"Investigating Microplastic Presence in Eye Drops Using Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.","authors":"Geraldine Yang, Jerome Ozkan, Minas Coroneo","doi":"10.1097/ICO.0000000000003909","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in daily life has raised significant health concerns, yet their pathways into the eye remain poorly understood. MPs have a multitude of direct and indirect effects on human health, with a recent murine study indicating that they may cause inflammatory and toxic damage to the ocular surface. Given the prevalence of plastic in eye drop packaging, MPs could potentially contaminate topical ocular medications and thus be absorbed into ocular and systemic tissues. This study aimed to determine the presence of MPs in commercially available eye drops.Methods: Commercially available eye drops from 20 brands were analyzed in triplicate (n = 60) for MPs. Particles ≥20 μm were examined using micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, with identities confirmed by cross-referencing with a polymer and chemical database. Particle area and appearance were also documented.Results: Although 498 visible particles were observed, a total of 4 MPs were identified in 2 of the 60 samples, specifically poly(1-dodecne) film (n = 2) and poly(1-octene) film (n = 2). In addition, 12 additional particles, including chemical catalysts and industrial lubricants, were noted across 6 samples.Conclusions: The study provides evidence for the presence of MPs ≥20 μm in commercial eye drops. Further investigation into eye drop packaging is essential to discern whether detected particles are manufacturing by-products or expected ingredients. Further studies using micro-Raman spectroscopy are recommended for definitive analysis of MP contamination.","PeriodicalId":10710,"journal":{"name":"Cornea","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cornea","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/ICO.0000000000003909","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: The ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in daily life has raised significant health concerns, yet their pathways into the eye remain poorly understood. MPs have a multitude of direct and indirect effects on human health, with a recent murine study indicating that they may cause inflammatory and toxic damage to the ocular surface. Given the prevalence of plastic in eye drop packaging, MPs could potentially contaminate topical ocular medications and thus be absorbed into ocular and systemic tissues. This study aimed to determine the presence of MPs in commercially available eye drops.

Methods: Commercially available eye drops from 20 brands were analyzed in triplicate (n = 60) for MPs. Particles ≥20 μm were examined using micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, with identities confirmed by cross-referencing with a polymer and chemical database. Particle area and appearance were also documented.

Results: Although 498 visible particles were observed, a total of 4 MPs were identified in 2 of the 60 samples, specifically poly(1-dodecne) film (n = 2) and poly(1-octene) film (n = 2). In addition, 12 additional particles, including chemical catalysts and industrial lubricants, were noted across 6 samples.

Conclusions: The study provides evidence for the presence of MPs ≥20 μm in commercial eye drops. Further investigation into eye drop packaging is essential to discern whether detected particles are manufacturing by-products or expected ingredients. Further studies using micro-Raman spectroscopy are recommended for definitive analysis of MP contamination.

查看原文本刊更多论文

微傅里叶变换红外光谱法研究滴眼液中微塑料的存在。

目的：微塑料（MPs）在日常生活中无处不在，引起了严重的健康问题，但它们进入眼睛的途径仍然知之甚少。MPs对人类健康有许多直接和间接的影响，最近的一项小鼠研究表明，它们可能会对眼表造成炎症和毒性损害。考虑到眼药水包装中塑料的普遍使用，MPs可能会污染局部眼部药物，从而被眼部和全身组织吸收。本研究旨在确定市售滴眼液中MPs的存在。方法：对市售的20个品牌滴眼液进行三次分析（n = 60）。使用微傅里叶变换红外光谱检测≥20 μm的颗粒，并通过与聚合物和化学数据库交叉对照确认其身份。还记录了颗粒面积和外观。结果：共观察到498个可见颗粒，其中2个样品共鉴定出4个MPs，特别是聚（1-十二烯）膜（n = 2）和聚（1-辛烯）膜（n = 2）。此外，在6个样本中还发现了12种额外的颗粒，包括化学催化剂和工业润滑剂。结论：本研究为商业滴眼液中MPs≥20 μm的存在提供了证据。对眼药水包装的进一步调查对于辨别检测到的颗粒是生产副产品还是预期成分至关重要。建议使用微拉曼光谱进行进一步的研究，以确定MP污染。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Cornea 医学-眼科学

CiteScore

5.20

自引率

10.70%

发文量

354

审稿时长

3-6 weeks

期刊介绍： For corneal specialists and for all general ophthalmologists with an interest in this exciting subspecialty, Cornea brings together the latest clinical and basic research on the cornea and the anterior segment of the eye. Each volume is peer-reviewed by Cornea''s board of world-renowned experts and fully indexed in archival format. Your subscription brings you the latest developments in your field and a growing library of valuable professional references. Sponsored by The Cornea Society which was founded as the Castroviejo Cornea Society in 1975.