Abstract
Purpose
Cataract, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, is a multifactorial disease involving oxidative stress mechanisms. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between air pollution exposure and the incidence of cataract surgery.
Methods
The 3C-Alienor study is a population-based cohort of residents of Bordeaux, France, aged 65 years or more, recruited in 1999–2000 and followed every 2–3 years until 2017. Cataract surgery was self-reported and checked at slit-lamp by trained professionals. Average air pollution exposure (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) in the 10 years preceding baseline was estimated at the participants' geocoded residential address, using temporally adjusted land use regression. Associations of 10-year average air pollution exposure with incidence of cataract were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders.
Results
The study included 829 subjects without cataract surgery prior to inclusion; the mean age at inclusion was 72.6 years (standard deviation (SD): 4.2) and 61% were women. The median (Interquartile-range (IQR)) follow-up duration was 14.1 (6.4) years during which 507 participants underwent cataract surgery. Exposure to a concentration ≥40 μg/m3 of NO2 (the current regulatory limit value in Europe) was associated with incident cataract surgery (HR = 1.46, CI (1.16, 1.84), p = 0.001). No statistically significant association was found with PM2.5 and BC.
Conclusion
Long-term exposure to a NO2 concentration ≥ 40 μg/m3 was associated with an increased incidence of cataract surgery. Complying with current European air pollution standards could reduce cataract surgery costs and improve population quality of life.
Cataract, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, is a multifactorial disease involving oxidative stress mechanisms. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between air pollution exposure and the incidence of cataract surgery.
Methods
The 3C-Alienor study is a population-based cohort of residents of Bordeaux, France, aged 65 years or more, recruited in 1999–2000 and followed every 2–3 years until 2017. Cataract surgery was self-reported and checked at slit-lamp by trained professionals. Average air pollution exposure (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) in the 10 years preceding baseline was estimated at the participants' geocoded residential address, using temporally adjusted land use regression. Associations of 10-year average air pollution exposure with incidence of cataract were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders.
Results
The study included 829 subjects without cataract surgery prior to inclusion; the mean age at inclusion was 72.6 years (standard deviation (SD): 4.2) and 61% were women. The median (Interquartile-range (IQR)) follow-up duration was 14.1 (6.4) years during which 507 participants underwent cataract surgery. Exposure to a concentration ≥40 μg/m3 of NO2 (the current regulatory limit value in Europe) was associated with incident cataract surgery (HR = 1.46, CI (1.16, 1.84), p = 0.001). No statistically significant association was found with PM2.5 and BC.
Conclusion
Long-term exposure to a NO2 concentration ≥ 40 μg/m3 was associated with an increased incidence of cataract surgery. Complying with current European air pollution standards could reduce cataract surgery costs and improve population quality of life.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | e192-e199 |
| Journal | ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA |
| Volume | 103 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- NO
- air pollution
- cataract
- eye disease
- fine particulate matter
- oxidative stress