2023-07-19 19:17:01
THE ESSENTIAL
- Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in France following age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
- A French study has alerted to the harmful effects of air pollution on the nerve fiber layers of the retina.
- The researchers suggested a possible increased risk of glaucoma for residents living in areas polluted with fine particles.
Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease characterized by damage to the optic nerve. This pathology is the second leading cause of blindness in France, following age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
An increased risk of glaucoma in people exposed to air pollution
A French study recently observed that people most exposed to atmospheric pollution, in particular to fine particles, would be more at risk of being affected by an accelerated thinning of the layer of nerve fibers in the retina. According to researchers from Inserm and the University of Bordeaux, there would therefore be “a possible increase in the risk of glaucoma for the inhabitants of areas polluted with fine particles, even at levels below the current regulatory thresholds of the European Union”. This work was published in the journal Environmental Research.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists recruited 683 elderly people living in Bordeaux and followed them for ten years. Between 2009 and 2020, participants received eye exams every two years to measure changes in the thickness of the nerve fiber layer of their retina.
As part of this research, the French team also determined their exposure to air pollution over the past ten years using their home address and annual exposure maps for each pollutant.
Exposure to pollutants: faster thinning of the retinal nerve layer
The researchers then found that volunteers who had been exposed to higher concentrations of fine particles had a faster thinning of the retinal nerve layer over the years. “For PM2.5 fine particulate matter, the 10-year average exposure estimates were below the European Union annual regulatory threshold (set at a maximum of 25 μg/m3) for all participants, but higher than the limit values recommended by the WHO in 2005 (10 μg/m3) further lowered in 2021 (5 μg/m3)”can we read in a press release from Inserm.
The results of this study therefore supported previous observations by confirming that chronic exposure to air pollution has adverse effects on the central nervous system, particularly on the nerve fiber layers of the retina. “More generally, our study documents the effects of atmospheric pollutants on neurological aging. Taking the example of ocular aging, it suggests that exposure to high concentrations of pollutants over time might lead to an acceleration of neurological aging, as observed in studies of brain aging”said Cécile Delcourt, director of research at Inserm and the last author of this work.
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