title: Ocular surface adverse effects of ambient levels of air pollution.
abstract: It is widely recognized today that outdoor air pollution can affect human health. Various chemical components that are present in ambient pollution may have an irritant effect on the mucous membranes of the body, particularly those of the respiratory tract. Much less attention has been focused on the adverse effect on the ocular surface, despite the fact that this structure is even more exposed to air pollution than the respiratory mucosa since only a very thin tear film separates the corneal and conjunctival epithelia from the air pollutants. So far, clinical data are the more widespread tools used by ophthalmologists for assessing possible aggression to the ocular surface; however, clinical findings alone appears not to correlate properly with the complaints presented by the patients pointing out the need for further clinical and laboratory studies on the subject. The purpose of this study is to review signs and symptoms associated with chronic long-term exposure to environmental air pollutants on the ocular structures currently defined as the ocular surface and to review clinical and laboratory tests used to investigate the adverse effects of air pollutants on such structures. We also review previous studies that investigated the adverse effects of air pollution on the ocular surface and discuss the need for further investigation on the subject.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ophthalmology Laboratory for Investigation in Ophthalmology, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. andre_torri39@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: André Augusto Miranda
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Torricelli
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Novaes
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Milton Ruiz
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Mário Luiz Ribeiro
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants