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Paris (AFP)
Air pollution is expected to increase the risk of irreversible vision loss, according to the results of a long-term study published on Tuesday.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among people over 50 in wealthier nations, with an estimated 300 million people affected by 2040.
Known risk factors include age, smoking and genetic makeup.
Now the researchers have drawn a link between AMD and air pollution, which is already known to present a number of health risks, including heart and lung disease.
Writing in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, the researchers analyzed data from more than 115,000 participants who reported no eye problems at the beginning of the study period in 2006.
Official data on traffic and levels of nitrous oxide and small particles were used to calculate the average annual levels of air pollution at the participants’ home addresses.
They were asked to report a formal diagnosis of AMD by a doctor and were tested on their visual performance several years later.
In all, 1,286 participants were diagnosed with AMD at the end of the study period.
After taking into account other influencing factors, including health and lifestyle conditions, exposure to fine particles was associated with an eight percent higher risk of an individual getting AMD.
“Overall, our results suggest that ambient air pollution, especially fine particles (particles) or combustion, can affect the risk of AMD,” said the study’s authors.
“Our findings add to the growing evidence of the damaging effects of ambient air pollution, even in the context of low relative exposure.”
The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution is responsible for at least seven million deaths every year.
Last week, a separate study estimated that reducing air pollution to WHO recommended levels could prevent more than 50,000 deaths annually across Europe.
Tuesday’s study was observational and therefore it was not possible to establish a causal relationship between air pollution and AMD.
But experts said it provided more evidence about the health risks from poor air quality.
“The association of macular degeneration with smoking is well recognized, but this new discovery of an environmental link related to air pollution will further increase the debate on climate change,” said Robert MacLaren, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford.
© 2021 AFP