Clinical Aspects of Ophthalmological Examination of the Population Exposed to Chronic Radiation Exposure in the South Urals (2021–2023)

This work is devoted to clarification of the peculiarities of ocular pathology in persons exposed to chronic radiation exposure and based on the long-term experience of the Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine (URCRM) in monitoring the health of the population and assessing the long-term consequences of exposure of the population of the Southern Urals. The population of the affected territories was exposed due to the discharge of radioactive waste into the Techa River by the Mayak PA and the explosion of a tank with high-level liquid waste in 1957. The objective of the study was to perform a descriptive analysis of the ocular pathology in exposed patients based on in-depth examination during 2021–2023.

Methods. The study included patients from the URCRM registry of exposed patients, examined by an ophthalmologist during 2021–2023 (1288 people in total). A single method of in-depth ophthalmological examination with photofixation of lens opacities was applied to all examined patients.

Results. According to the results of the survey, the most frequent pathology among ophthalmological diseases in persons exposed to chronic radiation exposure is vascular pathology, refractive pathology. The incidence of cataract increases with age and is 100 % in the oldest age group. The number of cataract cases is higher in women, and the age distribution of cases is approximately the same in men and women. Based on the results of ophthalmological examination with consideration of layer-by-layer changes in the lens, the most common changes in the lens begin with cortical opacities. At the age of 70 and older, changes in the crystalline lens affect all layers and become more uniform Changes in the nucleus and posterior capsule of the lens progress as patients age.

Conclusion. The performed work may have a good potential to use future research results for the assessment of radiation protection standards for the public.

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