Air Pollution and Eye Health: A New Study by the LEHA Team
RetourA new study conducted by members of the BPH, based on data from two general cohorts, Constances and Gazel, provides new findings on the impact of air pollution on eye health
Laure Gayraud, under the supervision of Cécile Delcourt, studied the impact of air pollution on eye health with other members of the LEHA team, as well as researchers from partner teams working on the Constances and Gazel cohorts at Paris Cité University and the University of Basel in Switzerland.
She has been working on this topic since her thesis, obtained in 2024, in which she had already highlighted the impact of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and fine particles (PM2.5), in particular, on the development of certain eye diseases.
She presents her work and findings in greater detail in the second episode of Ctrl+S, le podcast du BPH « Œil et cerveau face au temps, à l’environnement et au mode de vie »
This new study, published in April 2026 in the journal *Ophthalmology Science*, uses data from the two general-population epidemiological cohorts, Gazel and Constances, which collect data on a wide range of health-related topics, including environmental conditions, lifestyle habits, and the socioeconomic background of the participants.
The results suggest that air pollution may be associated with a higher risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), primarily in urban areas, where the air contains higher levels of pollutants from traffic and industrial activity.
Among participants in the two cohorts living in urban areas, exposure to high concentrations of atmospheric NO₂ was associated with an 8% increase in the incidence of cataracts. Furthermore, the risk of developing AMD was 88% higher among participants in the Constances cohort who were heavily exposed to atmospheric carbon soot (particles resulting from combustion), whereas no significant association was found in the Gazel cohort.
Combining data from these two national cohorts enriches the findings, particularly with regard to the differences observed between the study groups. Research is ongoing to better understand these differences.