Effects of 2008 Buenos Aires wildfires on ocular surface

MARTÍN BERRA; GUSTAVO GALPERIN; LAURA DAWIDOWSKI; JULIA TAU; ISABEL MÁRQUEZ; ALEJANDRO BERRA

ARQUIVOS BRASILEIROS DE OFTALMOLOGIA

CONSEL BRASIL OFTALMOLOGIA

Año: 2015

0004-2749

Objective: To evaluate the acute effects of wildfire smoke episode 2008 on the ocular surface of subjects that live in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (MABA). Methods: A total of 86 subjects were evaluated: Group1: patients from a public ophthalmology hospital (n=35) and Group2: healthy volunteers (n=51). All subjects answered an ocular symptoms questionnaire and underwent ophthalmologic examination (bulbar conjunctival hyperemia, cornea fluorescein staining, rose bengal vital staining, tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer I test, tear lysozyme and impression cytology) during and after the acute episode. Concentrations of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter before, during and after the acute episode were measured. Results: Both groups showed statically significant increase on ocular symptoms and bulbar conjunctival hyperemia, and statically significant decrease on TBUT during the acute episode. But, the patients showed more severity of symptoms and statically significant increase on fluorescein and rose bengal staining during the acute episode. We found a significant negative correlation between ocular symptoms and TBUT. During acute episode 2008, the levels of CO, NO2 and PM in the MABA were 4 times higher than the usual average levels for the same period in 2007 and 2009. Conclusions: Increased air pollution from the burning of biomass is associated with a decrease in the stability of the tear film (TBUT) generating areas of the ocular surface exposure that may be the cause of the increased feeling of irritation. Patients were more affected by not having a healthy ocular surface, thus they consulted an ophthalmologist. Not cytological changes on the conjunctiva were observed could be due to the short duration of the episode.