Environmental Exposure To Air Pollutants Effect On Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a disease that affects the macular part of the retina reducing the person’s central vision. AMD rarely leads to total blindness, but severely affects the ability to see fine details, faces, and driving signs. AMD is the most common cause of severe loss of vision among people older than 55 years. In the early stages of AMD people have no significant signs or symptoms of vision loss and they rarely suspect they have it.

Risk factors for AMD include age (50 and older), family history of AMD, having high blood pressure, having a diet high in saturated fat, cardiovascular risk factors, smoking, alcohol, and diabetes. While age and family history are modifiable factors most of the others are modifiable factors. Similar to smoking cigarettes, environmental exposure to cadmium and lead are modifiable factors, equally oxidative stress and inflammation have been recognized as key pathways putting the retina more than any other human organ at risk.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ninety percent of the population lives in places with air pollution exceeding the WHO air quality guide. These numbers are expected to rise over time and the burden to humans too. The number of researches studying the effect of air pollution on AMD has increased over the past decade. A 2019 study revealed that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) significantly increased the risk of AMD. Recently, researchers revealed that long-term exposures to ambient air pollution may play a role in the risk of AMD in middle-aged and older adults.

There has always been a significant relationship and association between air pollution and numerous human diseases. The association between air pollution and AMD is becoming more and more plausible as new studies are emerging and new findings are being added to the body of knowledge.