The study, published in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology, is one of the first to examine how climate change may affect the eye.
The researchers, including Associate Professor Katherine James, who directs the Climate and Human Health program at Colorado State University’s School of Public Health, looked at the relationship between ocular surface irritation and daily allergy-related office visits and daily levels of ambient particulate matter (PM) in the Denver metropolitan area.
They obtained data on particulate matter concentrations. The researchers found 144,313 cases of ocular surface irritation and allergy that were seen in eye care clinics during the study period.
The number of daily visits was 2.2 times higher than the average when PM10 concentrations were 110.
The rate of office visits increased as daily concentrations increased. The study reports that conjunctivitis is the second most common eye condition among patients visiting the clinic during the study, accounting for exactly one-third of all visits.
The prevalence of ocular allergic conjunctivitis has increased worldwide and varies by region.
Socioeconomic and environmental factors such as temperature, humidity and air pollution have been cited as reasons for the increase.
The health risks associated with air pollution and climate change span a wide range of impacts, including infectious diseases, weather-related illnesses and various lung, kidney and cardiovascular diseases, according to the scientists.