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Association of ambient solar radiation with biomechanical properties of the cornea in an elderly population: the Alienor study

Session Details

Session Title: Corneal biomechanics

Session Date/Time: Tuesday 08/10/2013 | 08:00-10:30

Paper Time: 08:06

Venue: Elicium 1 (First Floor)

First Author: : C.Schweitzer FRANCE

Co Author(s): :    F. Malet   M. Le Goff   J. Colin   J. Korobelnik   M. Delyfer   C.

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To analyze the association of ambient solar radiation (SR) on biomechanical properties of the cornea in adult patients

Setting:

University Hospital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France

Methods:

The ALIENOR (Antioxydants, Lipides Essentiels, Nutrition and maladies OculaiRes) Study is a population-based epidemiological study on age-related eye diseases. In 2009-2010, 625 subjects, aged 75 years or more, had an eye examination, including intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements, and an evaluation of the biomechanical properties of the cornea using the ocular response analyser® (ORA®, reichert inc., USA). Mean lifetime ambient SR was estimated using residential history. Global ambient annual SR (a measure of solar energy including all wavelengths) was estimated using astronomic formulas and the statistics of sunshine hours at each location. Then, for each participant, average annual ambient SR was estimated by weighting annual ambient solar radiation at each location by the time spent at that location. Participants were classified in 3 groups (Group 1: <458.53 kJ/cm2, Group 2: 458.53-474.74 kJ/cm2 (reference), Group 3: >474.74 kJ/cm2). Corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), corneal compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc), Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg) and CCT parameters were analyzed between SR groups, using mixed linear regression models taking into account data from both eyes and their intra-individual correlations

Results:

After adjustment for age and gender, there was a significant association of CH and CRF values with SR higher than 474.74 kJ/cm2 (CH: -0.39mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.75;-0.03, p=0.03/ CRF: -0.38mmHg, 95% CI: -0.74; -0.03, p=0.035), whereas there was no significant association of CH and CRF values with SR lower than 458.53 kJ/cm2 (CH: 0.01mmHg, 95% CI: -0.34; 0.36, p=0.96/ CRF: 0.002mmHg, 95% CI: -0.35; 0.35, p=0.99). The CCT was not significantly associated with SR ( SR<458.53: CCT:-2.48µm, 95%CI: -11.93;6.97, p=0.61/ SR> 474.74: CCT: -4.25µm, 95%CI: -13.86;5.35, p=0.38)

Conclusions:

CH and CRF were significantly lower in subjects exposed to high ambient solar radiation. Ambient UV exposure might induce histological changes of the cornea that influence its biomechanical properties

Financial Interest:

NONE