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  • Life - Health & Wellness
  • Updated: January 26, 2021

HEALTH ALERT: Air Pollution Linked To Blindness - Study

HEALTH ALERT: Air Pollution Linked To Blindness - Study

A recent study has shown that air pollution has the potential to increase the risk of irreversible sight loss.

This study is according to the results of a long-term study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology on Tuesday.

According to the revelation of the study, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among over-50s in richer nations, with roughly 300 million people predicted to be affected by 2040.

With the known risk factors to include age, smoking, and genetic make-up, researchers now have drawn a link between AMD and air pollution, which is already known to carry a host of health risks including heart and lung disease. 

Researchers of this study analysed data from more than 115,000 participants who reported no eye problems at the start of the study period in 2006. 

Official data on traffic and levels of nitrous oxide and small particulate matter was used to calculate the annual average air pollution levels at the home addresses of the participants. 

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They were asked to report formal diagnosis of AMD by a doctor and were tested on their sight performance several years later.

In all, 1,286 participants were diagnosed with AMD at the end of the study period.

After accounting for other influencing factors including underlying health conditions and lifestyle, fine particulate matter exposure was associated with an eight-percent higher risk of an individual contracting AMD.

“Overall, our findings suggest that ambient air pollution, especially fine (particulate matter) or those of combustion-related particles, may affect AMD risk,” said the study authors. 

“Our findings add to the growing evidence of the damaging effects of ambient air pollution, even in the setting of relative low exposure.” 

The World Health Organization estimates 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 so could not establish a causal link between air pollution and AMD but experts said it provided further evidence for the health risks of poor air quality. 

“The association of macular degeneration with smoking is well recognised, but this new finding of an environmental link related to atmospheric pollution will add further to the climate change debate,” said Robert MacLaren, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford.

This research should be of huge importance to residents of Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, Nigeria. Since November 2017, residents of the oil-rich city have complained about increased soot residue on surfaces in and out of their homes. Nigeria's ministry of environment declared an air pollution emergency in the affected areas but the issue persisted.

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