title: Visual impairment on dentists related to occupational mercury exposure.
abstract: A detailed assessment of visual function was obtained in subjects with low-level occupational mercury exposure by measuring hue saturation thresholds and contrast sensitivity functions for luminance and chromatic modulation. General practice dentists (n=15) were compared to age-matched healthy controls (n=13). Color discrimination estimated by the area of Mac Adam ellipses was impaired, showing diffuse discrimination loss. There was also reduction of contrast sensitivity for luminance and chromatic (red-green and blue-yellow) modulation, in all tested spatial frequencies. Low concentrations of urinary mercury (1.97±1.61μg/g creatinine) were found in the dentists group. Color discrimination as well as contrast sensitivity function, assessed psychophysically, constitutes a sensitive indicator of subtle neurotoxic effect of elemental mercury exposure.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, e Núcleo de Pesquisa em Neurociências e Comportamento, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz H M
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Canto-Pereira
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lago
authors.forename: Marcelo F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Anderson R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Cézar A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos L
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Dora F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ventura