Yasmina Kattou / Photo credit: Europe 1
A study by Inserm and the University of Bordeaux highlights the consequences of air pollution on our eyes. According to researchers, it accelerates eye aging and the risk of glaucoma. A neurodegenerative disease that can lead to loss of sight.
When air pollution has unsuspected adverse effects. This is what a study by Inserm and the University of Bordeaux has just shown. We knew that air pollution had consequences on the central nervous system: neurodegenerative diseases in adults, neurodevelopmental disorders in children… But researchers have also just noticed that this same pollution, which is hitting more and more cities, also has effects on our eyes.
According to them, it accelerates ocular aging and the risk of glaucoma. After working for ten years on nearly 700 inhabitants of the metropolis of Bordeaux, aged over 75, the researchers demonstrated an acceleration of eye aging in people exposed to fine particles.
Reduce exposure to air pollution
Aging, even blindness. All study participants experienced a thinning of the thickness of their retinas. The retina is what lines the back of the eye, and its condition is an indicator of the proper functioning of the nervous system. Due to air pollution, the nerve layer of the retina has become thinner. It is one of the precursor symptoms of glaucoma, this neurodegenerative disease that can lead to loss of sight.
However, alert Laure Gayraud, of Inserm, all people were exposed to pollution levels below the recommended threshold. “We were between 16 and 25 micrograms. Currently, the European regulatory threshold is 25 micrograms per cubic meter. The WHO advises five micrograms. And what has been agreed for 2030 is ten micrograms. So we are still above what is recommended by the WHO.
Laure Gayraud hopes that the public authorities will put in place measures to reduce exposure to air pollution as quickly as possible. Because there is an urgent need to act: glaucoma is the second cause of blindness in the world.