Air pollution linked to AMD and retinal layer thickness

Researchers of a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology have found that greater exposure to air pollution was associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and differences in retinal layer thickness.

A total of 115,954 UK Biobank participants aged 40 to 69 were included in the study and ambient air pollution measures included particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Researchers analysed spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and participants with self-reported ocular conditions, high refractive error (+/- 6D) and poor OCT images were excluded.

Photoreceptor sublayer thickness taken from OCT imaging and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer thickness were used as structural biomarkers of AMD for 52,602 participants.