It is added to the list of harmful effects of air pollution. A study carried out by researchers from Inserm (National Institute for Health and Medical Research) and the University of Bordeaux shows that exposure to high levels of air pollution leads to accelerated aging of the eyes, according to results published in the journal Environmental Investigation and picked up by science and future.
The study is based on data collected between 2009 and 2020 from a sample of 683 people aged at least 75 who live in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. To estimate your exposure to air pollution, the amount of fine particles in your home was measured.
A noticeable difference
In the space of eleven years, people living in areas of the Bordeaux Métropole where the concentration of fine particles is 25 µg/m3 have seen their retinal nerve fiber layer thickness reduce more significantly than those living in areas with levels of 20 µg/m3.. A gap that is equivalent to one year of eye aging.
Not insignificant results, despite the fact that the level of air pollution decreased during the study.
Pollution that increases the risk of glaucoma
The review recalls that the nerve fibers found in the retina are part of the central nervous system. Their weight loss can cause glaucoma, a disease related to damage to the optic nerve and which can lead to blindness of the eye.
“The results of this study confirm previous observations on the effects of air pollution on neurodegenerative processes, here at the ocular level,” comments Laure Gayraud, a doctoral student in epidemiology and first author of the study.
For the scientist, this is “an additional argument” in favor of reducing air pollution and European standards, which did not exceed the rates recorded at the time of the study.
According to a report published by the European Environment Agency last April, air pollution also causes the premature death of at least 1,200 children and adolescents each year in Europe.
Source: BFM TV
