High Air Pollution Exposure Increases Risk of Vision-Threatening Eye Diseases, suggests study

Atmospheric air pollution has been well known for years for its toxic effects on cardiovascular and respiratory disease, but evidence of its contribution to eye diseases is less researched. The goal of this investigation was to determine the relationship of several air pollutants (nitrogen oxides, NOx; nitrogen dioxide, NO2; particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10) with the prevalence of five principal vision-threatening eye diseases: cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal detachment.

The research was a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank data, with 114,930 participants who had refractometry measures at baseline. Land use regression models were used to estimate annual average concentrations of NOx, NO2, PM2.5, and PM10. Restricted cubic spline models and Cox proportional hazards regression were used by researchers to examine the association between exposure to air pollution and incidence of ocular disease. The analysis was also stratified by myopia status to ascertain if the nearsighted individuals were more vulnerable to eye diseases due to pollution.

Key Findings

• An increase in interquartile range of PM10 and NOx was strongly associated with an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy among myopic subjects, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.11 (95% CI: 1.01–1.23) and 1.22 (95% CI: 1.02–1.45), respectively.

• PM10 exposure was linked with a 9% increase in incidence of retinal detachment among myopic individuals.

• PM2.5 exposure was linked with an 8% increase in glaucoma incidence among the nonmyopic population.

• Exposure to high PM10 was linked with a 61% increased risk of diabetic retinopathy among myopic individuals.

Stratified analysis further demonstrated that low-to-moderate myopic individuals were more susceptible to PM10 exposure, with:

• 67% increased risk of retinal detachment

• 44% increased risk of macular degeneration

The study authors concluded that long-term exposure to a high concentration of PM10 had a strong positive association with increased risk for diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment, especially among the myopic subjects. The observation puts emphasis on proper management of air pollution as an avoidable causative risk factor for potentially sight-threatening eye disorders. Policymakers and doctors can combine with each other efforts to abate the impact of environmental hazards to vision health by adopting a vigorous air control mechanism and proper early screening for vision-threatening diseases of the eyes.

Reference:

Wang, Z., Yu, Y., Ye, Y., Wang, L., Bao, Y., Wang, X., Zhou, X., & Zhao, J. (2025). Associations between ambient air pollution and five common vision-threatening ocular diseases in middle-aged and older adults: A large prospective cohort study. American Journal of Ophthalmology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2025.03.009