Study Reveals Alarming Link Between Climate Change And Vision Impairment
We've established that climate change is bad for the planet and its effects are no longer deniable. The Earth is getting warmer and its negative consequences on humans will only become more visible. A comprehensive study now provides evidence of how climate change can increase vision impairment.
The study that involved 1.7 million people found that older adults living in regions (in the United States) with average temperatures of 15.5 degree Celsius are more likely to suffer from blindness or difficulties in seeing, even with glasses.
Vision impairment and climate change
"The link between vision impairment and average county temperature is very worrying if future research determines that the association is causal," said Esme Fuller-Thomson, the study's co-author and director of the University of TorontoˇŻs Institute of Life Course and Aging. "It will be important to monitor if the prevalence of vision impairment among older adults increases in the future," Fuller-Thomson added.
Compared to counties with average temperatures less than 10 degree Celsius, the probability of severe vision impairment increased with increase in temperatures.
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This was 14% among residents with average temperatures between 10-12 degree Celsius and 24% higher in places where average temperatures fell between 12-15 degree Celsius. For people living in warmer climates, the changes of vision loss are 44% higher!?
Even when factors like age, sex, and income were taken into consideration, the link between higher temperatures and vision impairment remained high. The link was stronger among people aged between 65-79 compared to those aged 80 and above. This trend was also more notable among men than women. Even then, scientists aren't sure about the correlation.
The team thinks it could be caused by increased ultraviolet light exposure, air pollution, infections, and degradation of folic acid clubbed with rising temperatures.
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Results from the study were published in the journal Ophthalmic Epidemiology and focused on data from six consecutive versions of the American Community Survey. The average temperature data was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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