Exposure to air pollution can cause a person to be 2.16 times more likely to experience eye strokes, which can cause vision loss, researchers in Taipei said yesterday.
Analyzing National Health Insurance Administration data and data from air-quality and weather sensors nationwide, a team of researchers from Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, and Yuan Ze University found a correlation between air pollution and the occurrence of eye strokes.
An increase of air pollution over a one-week period by just one part per billion can cause those exposed to be 1.1 times more likely to experience an eye stroke, the team said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Diabetics, people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other pre-existing conditions face an even higher risk: They are 1.4 to 2.16 times as likely to have an eye stroke, the team said.
Neuro-ophthalmologist Cheng Hui-chen (鄭惠禎) said that eye strokes occur when there is insufficient blood flow to the tissues in the front part of the optic nerve, and while such strokes are sudden and painless, they can result in serious vision loss.
One patient she treated, a 67-year-old man, had lost the sight in his right eye, due to a lack of blood flow to the eye, she said.
Fortunately, using angiography, injections to dissolve blood clots in the optical arteries and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, doctors were able to largely restore the man’s vision, Cheng said.
Doctors already know about the link between air pollution and an increased risk of conjunctivitis, xerophthalmia (abnormal drying of the eye), retinal-vein occlusion and other conditions, but the research team hoped to expand upon those findings with their project, she said.
In the study, the team looked at 93 patients who had experienced eye strokes between 2001 and 2013, and compared their details with the data from 603 weather sensors and 78 air-quality sensors near the patients’ homes, she said.
The team found that an increase in air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) or PM10 correlated with a significant increase in the rate of eye strokes, she said.
Air pollutants can enter the optical veins through the respiratory tract, passing from the veins in the lungs to those in the eyes through the circulatory system, and causing blockages when they reach the eyes, she said.
One way to reduce the risk of eye strokes is to reduce exposure to air pollution by using public transportation instead of riding scooters, she said.
The elderly and those with preexisting conditions should also wear masks on days when pollution levels are high, she said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
RSS