IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTALFACTORS ON EYE HEALTH IN INDIA - A NARRATIVE REVIEWRituparna Ghoshal, Dipanwita Ghosh, Somnath Ghosh and Gopeswar MukherjeeAbstract Climate change and related environmental factors like air pollutants, heat wave, UV radiation, smoke,greenhouse gases, bacteria, viruses, humidity, and temperature variation have considerable impact onhuman health and also on ocular structures like cornea, conjunctiva, and retina. Due to urbanization,deforestation and industrialization, in middle income developing countries like India, the effect of climatechange on human health and eye health is even more causing significant increase in health-related costs.Eye is the most sensitive and vulnerable organ exposed to environmental insults resulting in many eyediseases like cataract, pterygium, glaucoma, neoplasia and dry eye. Moreover, diversity of Indian climateand the changes in the climate is giving rise to many emerging eye diseases and is also increasing theprevalence of many preexisting ocular conditions. Therefore, the main aim of this literature review is tohighlight the impact of climate change in overall eye health and to report literature on the same in Indiancontext. |