Association of ambient air pollution with age-related macular degeneration and retinal thickness in UK Biobank

Abstract

AimTo examine the associations of air pollution with both self-reported age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and in vivo measures of retinal sublayer thicknesses.MethodsWe included 115 954 UK Biobank participants aged 40–69 years old in this cross-sectional study. Ambient air pollution measures included particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Participants with self-reported ocular conditions, high refractive error (< −6 or > +6 diopters) and poor spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) image were excluded. Self-reported AMD was used to identify overt disease. SD-OCT imaging derived photoreceptor sublayer thickness and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer thickness were used as structural biomarkers of AMD for 52 602 participants. We examined the associations of ambient air pollution with self-reported AMD and both photoreceptor sublayers and RPE layer thicknesses.ResultsAfter adjusting for covariates, people who were exposed to higher fine ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 µm (PM2.5, per IQR increase) had higher odds of self-reported AMD (OR=1.08, p=0.036), thinner photoreceptor synaptic region (β=−0.16 µm, p=2.0 × 10−5), thicker photoreceptor inner segment layer (β=0.04 µm, p=0.001) and thinner RPE (β=−0.13 µm, p=0.002). Higher levels of PM2.5 absorbance and NO2 were associated with thicker photoreceptor inner and outer segment layers, and a thinner RPE layer. Higher levels of PM10 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter <10 µm) was associated with thicker photoreceptor outer segment and thinner RPE, while higher exposure to NOx was associated with thinner photoreceptor synaptic region.ConclusionGreater exposure to PM2.5 was associated with self-reported AMD, while PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance, PM10, NO2 and NOx were all associated with differences in retinal layer thickness.

Fine Particulate Matter and Age-Related Eye Disease: The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

“…More research on this topic is needed. In agreement with our findings is that Chua et al 13 reported that higher levels of PM 2.5 were related to self-reported visually impairing AMD, thinner photoreceptor synaptic regions, thicker photoreceptor inner segment layer, and thinner retinal pigment epithelium. The authors did not adjust their model for other air pollutants, so we can only compare our single pollutant model to their results.…”

“…Little epidemiological research exists examining the relationship between PM 2.5 and eye disease. Relationships have been identified between PM 2.5 and visual impairment, 10 glaucoma, 11 , 12 and AMD, 13 but the results for cataract are unclear. 14 , 15 To our knowledge, all of the existing studies have been done in east Asia or the United Kingdom with none being done in the United States or Canada.…”

Sulforaphane Alleviates Particulate Matter-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

“…The results of the present study demonstrated that enzymatic activities of SOD and CAT were decreased by PM exposure, and that these effects were reversed by SFN posttreatment. These results suggest that SFN has antioxidant activity against RPE exposure to PM 2.5, which was recently identified as a risk factor for AMD (28).…”

“…Higher concentrations of PM 2.5 were associated decreased thickness of the ganglion cell-inner plexiform, inner nuclear, and outer plexiform + outer nuclear layers (27). Furthermore, greater exposure to PM 2.5 was associated with increased incidence of self-reported AMD and decreased thickness of the RPE layer (28).…”

Seven days in medicine: 20-26 January 2021

“…Air pollution was linked to a higher risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) in an observational study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology that reviewed data from 115 954 UK Biobank participants 2. During the six year follow-up 1286 of the participants (just over 1%) had AMD diagnosed.…”