Recent developments in vision research: light damage in cataract

McCarty, CA; Taylor, Hugh R.

doi:10.1016/s0002-9394(14)70513-6

Cited by 31 publications

(37 citation statements)

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“…Wearing a brimmed hat and UV-B protecting sunglasses and also avoiding direct sunlight at the peak hours of UV-B radiation have been suggested as a powerful measures of primary prevention for cortical cataract. 13,14,23,25,26 Diabetes 'Sugar cataracts' were noticed a long time ago through case observations, before medical treatment became available. Association of these two types of cataract with diabetes mellitus and galactosaemia was proven through biochemical and experimental studies.…”

Section: Uv-b Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

External factors in the development of cataract

Robman

Taylor

2005

Eye

170

114

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Aims To provide an update on the risk factors for cataract development. Methods Review of the literature. Results Age and heredity are the most important risk factors associated with the different types of cataract. While the hereditary component is self-explanatory, increasing age serves as a surrogate for a number of potential external risk factors, the effect of which is cumulative. Identification of the risk factors that have a causal effect on cataract development may provide means for cataract prevention. There are only a few risk factors that satisfy the criteria for causal effect: smoking, which results in the increased risk of nuclear cataract, excessive UV-B exposure and diabetes that increase the risk of cortical cataract, and steroidal treatment, diabetes and ionising radiation that lead to the formation of posterior subcapsular opacity. The effect of medications on cataract development requires further study, since the effect of the diseases should be distinguished from that of treatment. 'Stop Smoking' and 'UV-B protection' campaigns are gaining momentum as preventative measures, while the attempts to actively prevent cataract with antioxidants have not been successful. Cataract research has been facilitated lately by improvements of precision and standardisation in measuring lens opacities. However, measurement precision on its own cannot give us a solution to this problem. Conclusion The major studies repeatedly measure the exposure to the traditional health hazards, while the missing parts in the equation are those risk factors that we do not know about and therefore do not measure. New approaches and new hypotheses are needed.

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Section: Uv-b Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

External factors in the development of cataract

Robman

Taylor

2005

Eye

170

114

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“…While con¯icting reports exist on the effect of sunlight exposure in the development of age-related cataracts in humans (Taylor et al, 1992;Bergmanson and Soderberg, 1995;Dolin, 1995;Harding, 1995;McCarty and Taylor, 1996;Delcourt et al, 2000), none were found on the effect of¯uorescent lighting. Long term daily exposure to near UV has been shown in mice to be cataractogenic (Zigman, Yulo and Schultz, 1974), Several reports have indicated that rodents exposed to higher levels of uorescent light develop higher rates of cataract, as seen in animals on the top level of cage racks vs those housed at lower levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is clear evidence for cataractogenesis caused by direct ultraviolet light (UV) on the lens, some controversy exists concerning the effect of long term exposure to sunlight on the incidence and timing of age-related cataract in humans (Taylor et al, 1992;Bergmanson and Soderberg, 1995;Dolin, 1995;Harding, 1995;McCarty and Taylor, 1996;Delcourt et al, 2000). There has been a general acceptance that standard¯uorescent lighting does not represent a risk for cataract in humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of High and Very Low Fluorescent Light Exposure Levels on Age-related Cataract in a Pigmented Mouse Strain

Wolf

Penn

2001

Experimental Eye Research

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“…The action spectrum for keratitis formation has a maximum in the UVC region (!290 nm) at about 270 nm and that for cataract mainly in the UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB regions (290-320 nm) [1][2][3][4]. While keratitis solaris (snow blindness) is an acute reaction of the cornea to UV radiation with excellent prognosis, cataract is a major cause for blindness in the world [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Eye Drops Protective against Ultraviolet Radiation

et al. 1998

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Background: To test the effectiveness of commercially available ultraviolet (UV)-protective eye drops (8-hydroxy-1-methylchinolinium methylsulphate) which are recommended for protection against both solar and artificial UV radiation. Methods: The spectral transmission in the wavelength range from 250 to 500 nm was investigated in 1-nm steps using a high-resolution double monochromator with holographic gratings of 2,400 lines/mm and a 1,000-watt halogen lamp as light source. The transmission spectrum was measured for different values of the layer thickness. Results: The transmission of a liquid layer of about 10 µm, which corresponds to the thickness of the human tear film, shows a cut-off at 290 nm with a transmission of about 25–50% at shorter wavelengths. For wavelengths longer than 290 nm the transmission is higher than 90%. The threshold time ratio for keratitis formation with and without eye drops is above 0.93 considering solar radiation on the earth’s surface and above 0.65 considering radiation from arc-welding, respectively. Discussion: The transmission spectrum of the eye drops under realistic conditions does not show a protective effect against solar UV radiation. However, there exists reduction of UVC radiation in the spectral range typical of artificial UV sources such as arc-welding. We cannot recommend the application of these eye drops as an UV-protective aid against eye damage by solar UV radiation.

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Recent developments in vision research: light damage in cataract

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

External factors in the development of cataract

External factors in the development of cataract

The Effect of High and Very Low Fluorescent Light Exposure Levels on Age-related Cataract in a Pigmented Mouse Strain

Effectiveness of Eye Drops Protective against Ultraviolet Radiation

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