The Eyes Have It

Abstract

The ocular lens is one of the most susceptible structures in the body to radiation damage. Unfortunately, much of the traditional academic and regulatory thinking on thresholds to develop radiation-induced opacities or cataracts has proven to be false. Individual vulnerability to the effects of radiation is extremely variable, largely because each individual is variably genetically equipped to repair the damage caused by radiation. Therefore many people, including some unsuspecting interventional radiologists may have no, or almost no, threshold at all for cataract development after radiation injury. For most others, if there is a threshold it is a fraction of what was previously thought. These new data have become apparent during the same time period when unprecedented numbers of physicians and medical staff have been exposed to unprecedented doses of scatter radiation as the number and complexity of fluoroscopic guided procedures has exploded. Increased rates of radiation lens damage have already been documented in physicians and support staff working in interventional medicine. As there is a latency period of years to decades for lens injury to fully evolve it is quite possible the true incidence will not be known for some time. Strategies to minimize the potential risks encountered in interventional medicine include radiation safety best practices, passive and personal barrier protection, and philosophical approach to interventional radiology practice. Ignore this article at your peril.

Keywords: interventional radiology; occupational health; radiation safety.