Solar ultraviolet radiation and ocular disease: a review of the epidemiological and experimental evidence

Abstract

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation has been linked, at some point, with more than a dozen eye diseases. Some of these associations are based solely on anecdotes, while others have been subjected to epidemiological investigations. For each eye disease, the evidence for an association with ultraviolet radiation is presented and evaluated. The only eye disease for which there is sufficient evidence of a causal association in humans is photokeratitis. For several eye diseases (climatic droplet keratopathy, pterygium, cataract) there is limited evidence for an association, while for other diseases (uveal melanoma, macular degeneration) there is either little support for an association or inadequate data on which to base an assessment.