Zhanying Wang , Yanze Yu , Yuhao Ye , Liyin Wang , Yongle Bao , Xiaoying Wang , Xingtao Zhou , Jing Zhao
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Associations Between Ambient Air Pollution and Five Common Vision-Threatening Ocular Diseases in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Large Prospective Cohort Study
Purpose
Ambient air pollution may exacerbate ocular conditions; however, comprehensive research on the effects of various pollutants remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the association between multiple air pollutants and the incidence of five common vision-threatening ocular diseases: cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal detachment.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Methods
We included 114,930 participants with refractometry at baseline in this prospective cohort study based on data from the UK Biobank. Annual average concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter (PM) with diameters <2.5 µm (PM2.5) and <10 µm (PM10) were assessed using land use regression models. Restricted cubic spline models and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the association between air pollution exposure and ocular disease incidence, with stratified analyses based on myopia status.
Results
An interquartile range increase in PM10 and NOx was significantly associated with a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy among participants with myopia, with hazard ratios of 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.23) and 1.22 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.45), respectively. PM10 was linked to a 9% increase in retinal detachment incidence in the myopic population, and PM2.5 was linked to an 8% increase in glaucoma incidence in the nonmyopic population. High PM10 exposure was associated with a 61% higher risk of diabetic retinopathy in the myopic group. Further stratified analysis revealed that the impact of PM10 on diabetic retinopathy was more pronounced in individuals with low-to-moderate myopia than in those with high myopia. High PM10 exposure also correlated with a 67% higher risk of retinal detachment and a 44% higher risk of macular degeneration in the low-to-moderate myopic population.
Conclusions
Exposure to high levels of PM10 was associated with an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment, highlighting the importance of addressing air pollutants as an intervention for vision-threatening ocular diseases.
期刊介绍:
The American Journal of Ophthalmology is a peer-reviewed, scientific publication that welcomes the submission of original, previously unpublished manuscripts directed to ophthalmologists and visual science specialists describing clinical investigations, clinical observations, and clinically relevant laboratory investigations. Published monthly since 1884, the full text of the American Journal of Ophthalmology and supplementary material are also presented online at www.AJO.com and on ScienceDirect.
The American Journal of Ophthalmology publishes Full-Length Articles, Perspectives, Editorials, Correspondences, Books Reports and Announcements. Brief Reports and Case Reports are no longer published. We recommend submitting Brief Reports and Case Reports to our companion publication, the American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports.
Manuscripts are accepted with the understanding that they have not been and will not be published elsewhere substantially in any format, and that there are no ethical problems with the content or data collection. Authors may be requested to produce the data upon which the manuscript is based and to answer expeditiously any questions about the manuscript or its authors.