title: Eye dosimetry and protective eyewear for interventional clinicians.
abstract: Doses to the eyes of interventional clinicians can exceed 20 mSv. Various protective devices can afford protection to the eyes with the final barrier being protective eyewear. The protection provided by lead glasses is difficult to quantify, and the majority of dosimeters are not designed to be worn under lead glasses. This study has measured dose reduction factors (DRFs) equal to the ratio of the dose with no protection, divided by that when lead glasses are worn. Glasses have been tested in X-ray fields using anthropomorphic phantoms to simulate the patient and clinician. DRFs for X-rays incident from the front vary from 5.2 to 7.6, while values for orientations reminiscent of clinical practice are between 1.4 and 5.2. Results suggest that a DRF of two is a conservative factor that could be applied to personal dosimeter measurements to account for the dose reduction provided by most types of lead glasses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physics and Bio-engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK colin.j.martin@ntlworld.com.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Health Physics, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, Glasgow G12 0XH, UK.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Physics, University of Gothenburg, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sandblom
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almén
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, SE-413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lundh
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D005135:Eye Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008503:Medical Staff; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011482:Protective Devices; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000379:methods; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D007854:Lead