TY - JOUR
T1 - Occupational Exposure to Solar Radiation and the Eye
T2 - A Call to Implement Health Surveillance of Outdoor Workers
AU - Modenese, Alberto
AU - Chou, B. Ralph
AU - Ádám, Balázs
AU - Loney, Tom
AU - Bettencourt Silva Paulo, Marilia Raquel
AU - Tenkate, Thomas
AU - Gobba, Fabriziomaria
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Mattioli 1885. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/8/2
Y1 - 2023/8/2
N2 - Globally, hundreds of millions of outdoor workers are exposed to solar radiation (SR) for most of their work. Such occupational exposure is known to induce various adverse health effects on the eyes, mainly related to its ultraviolet (UV) component. The present work is a call to action to raise awareness of the need for health surveillance to prevent chronic ocular diseases in outdoor workers. Photo-chemical chronic damage can induce pterygium at the eye’s outer layer and cataracts in the lens. Considering carcinogenic effects, rare squamous-cell tumors of the cornea and/or the conjunctiva and ocular melanomas are associated with UV radiation exposure. Solar UV-related eye diseases should be considered “occupational diseases” when workers have sufficient exposure. Still, they are often not recognized and/ or frequently not reported to the national compensation authorities. Therefore, to prevent the burden of these work-related eye pathologies, an adequate risk assessment with identification of appropriate preventive measures and a provision of periodic health surveillance to the exposed workers, particularly those at higher risk of exposure or with individual susceptibility, should be urgently implemented.
AB - Globally, hundreds of millions of outdoor workers are exposed to solar radiation (SR) for most of their work. Such occupational exposure is known to induce various adverse health effects on the eyes, mainly related to its ultraviolet (UV) component. The present work is a call to action to raise awareness of the need for health surveillance to prevent chronic ocular diseases in outdoor workers. Photo-chemical chronic damage can induce pterygium at the eye’s outer layer and cataracts in the lens. Considering carcinogenic effects, rare squamous-cell tumors of the cornea and/or the conjunctiva and ocular melanomas are associated with UV radiation exposure. Solar UV-related eye diseases should be considered “occupational diseases” when workers have sufficient exposure. Still, they are often not recognized and/ or frequently not reported to the national compensation authorities. Therefore, to prevent the burden of these work-related eye pathologies, an adequate risk assessment with identification of appropriate preventive measures and a provision of periodic health surveillance to the exposed workers, particularly those at higher risk of exposure or with individual susceptibility, should be urgently implemented.
KW - Adverse Eye Effects
KW - Cataract
KW - Eye Tumors
KW - Macular Degeneration
KW - Occupational Exposure
KW - Ocular Melanoma
KW - Optical Radiation
KW - Pterygium
KW - Solar Radiation
KW - Ultraviolet Radiation
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85166409995&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.23749/mdl.v114i4.14657
DO - 10.23749/mdl.v114i4.14657
M3 - Review article
C2 - 37534422
AN - SCOPUS:85166409995
SN - 0025-7818
VL - 114
JO - Medicina del Lavoro
JF - Medicina del Lavoro
IS - 4
M1 - e2023032
ER -