Thematic Events Light and Wellbeing LIGHT SCATTER - Environmental impact by ionising radiation and other environmental contaminants on the eye
The single most important cause of vision loss world-wide is lens cataract. In the elderly, vision loss is the most significant cause of morbidity. Fortunately there is effective treatment via surgery to replace cataractous lenses. So what is cataract and how does it form? A cataract is when the lens begins to scatter rather than refract light. This means the texture and colour of what we are looking at are lost and in the worst- case scenario the lens become completely opaque blocking the light and preventing it from reaching our retina. How do cataracts form? By a variety of ways, some of which suggest simple lifestyle changes to help preserve lens function. For instance wearing sun glasses to prevent UV damage is one such lifestyle choice. Besides UV radiation, the sun is also a source of other higher energy radiation, like that produced in X-ray machines or in nuclear power plants or as a result of atomic explosions. From epidemiological studies of A-bomb survivors, it is now known that the lens is very sensitive to ionizing radiation. Such studies continue to inform regulations for the safe working limits for ionizing radiation. These regulations are important for national Space Agencies, as well as for cardiovascular surgeons as they consider their exposure to X-rays as part of the imaging procedures they use. Such information also impacts airline pilots. So the impact of radiation is universal.
Another important environmental factor is arsenic contamination of water and food supplies, because arsenic becomes concentrated in the lens. Arsenic contamination threatens more than 35 million people worldwide, therefore appreciating the risks and determining the mechanism of lens damage are important research goals
This project has the support of IAS Fellow, Dr Norman Kleiman, a world leading expert on cataract caused by environmental factors and in particular ionising radiation. Dr Kleiman will be offering talks within the IAS and the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (SBBS). The environmental issues involving water, food and energy security as well as Health and Safety means that the LIGHT SCATTER theme has a very broad appeal. A workshop entitled Environmental Factors and Light Scatter – a Public Health Issue is also planned in partnership with Public Health England, aiming to bring together leading experts to encourage inter-institute collaboration between the Biophysical Sciences Institute (BSI), Durham Energy Institute (DEI), Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience (IHRR) and Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing (WRIHWB). The workshop is initially by invitation only, however for further information contact either Dr Norman Kleiman (
njk3@columbia.edu) or Professor Roy Quinlan (
r.a.quinlan@dur.ac.uk).
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