For generations, the clouding of vision with age has been accepted as an inevitable passage of time — but a sweeping analysis of 41 studies, drawing on millions of lives across East Asia and the United Kingdom, now suggests that the air we breathe may be quietly hastening that passage. Presented at a European ophthalmology conference, the research finds that people in the most polluted environments face up to 70 percent greater odds of developing glaucoma, with cataract risk climbing steadily alongside pollution exposure. The eye, unshielded and open to the world, may be absorbing a cost we ha
Air pollution exposure linked to 70% higher glaucoma risk, study finds
Cataracts affect ~94 million people globally and are the leading cause of impaired vision; glaucoma affects ~7.7 million and causes vision loss if untreated.