Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Nov 11;25(22):12107.
doi: 10.3390/ijms252212107.

Pathological Mechanisms of Particulate Matter-Mediated Ocular Disorders: A Review

Jung-Hwa Han  1   2 , Chaima Amri  1 , Hyesook Lee  1 , Jin Hur  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Pathological Mechanisms of Particulate Matter-Mediated Ocular Disorders: A Review

Jung-Hwa Han et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Air pollution presents a severe risk to public health, with particulate matter (PM) identified as a significant hazardous element. However, despite the eye organ being constantly exposed to air pollution, only recently has the impact of PM on ocular health caught the attention of researchers and healthcare professionals. By compiling pertinent data, this paper aims to enhance our understanding of the underlying pathological mechanisms of PM-mediated ocular disorders and facilitate the development of effective treatment strategies. Recent data support the association between exposure to PM and the development of ocular pathologies such as dry eye syndrome, retinal atherosclerosis, and glaucoma. Based on the results of multiple studies, PM exposure can lead to oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, cell death, and, ultimately, the development of ophthalmic diseases. This review aims to consolidate the latest findings on PM-mediated ocular diseases by summarizing the outcomes from epidemiological, in vitro, and in vivo studies on ocular surface and retinal disorders as well as other relevant ophthalmic disorders.

Keywords: air pollution; fine dust; ocular surface; oxidative stress; particulate matter; retinal disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the literature selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Anatomy of the eyeball and a schematic representation of the effects of particulate matter on ocular diseases.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Understanding the pathological mechanisms of particulate matter-mediated ocular disorders. (A) Illustration of how PM-induced ROS regulate cellular pathological events, such as autophagy, inflammation, senescence, cell death, and pyroptosis, on the ocular surface. (B) Summary of how PM-induced ROS regulate cellular pathological events in the retina.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Atkinson R.W., Mills I.C., Walton H.A., Anderson H.R. Fine particle components and health--a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological time series studies of daily mortality and hospital admissions. J. Expo. Sci. Environ. Epidemiol. 2015;25:208–214. doi: 10.1038/jes.2014.63. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Halonen J.I., Lanki T., Yli-Tuomi T., Tiittanen P., Kulmala M., Pekkanen J. Particulate air pollution and acute cardiorespiratory hospital admissions and mortality among the elderly. Epidemiology. 2009;20:143–153. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e31818c7237. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jbaily A., Zhou X., Liu J., Lee T.H., Kamareddine L., Verguet S., Dominici F. Air pollution exposure disparities across US population and income groups. Nature. 2022;601:228–233. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04190-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jung S.J., Mehta J.S., Tong L. Effects of environment pollution on the ocular surface. Ocul. Surf. 2018;16:198–205. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2018.03.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ramirez C.A., Pérez-Martinot M., Gil-Huayanay D., Urrunaga-Pastor D., Benites-Zapata V.A. Ocular Exposure to Particulate Matter and Development of Pterygium: A Case-Control Study. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2018;9:163–169. doi: 10.15171/ijoem.2018.1319. - DOI - PMC - PubMed