un expoure and pterygium of the eye: a doe-repone curve Original Reearch Article

PURPOE: To preent a quantitative analyi of pterygium and ocular un expoure, a doe-repone curve, and a dicuion of the health-promotion implication of the finding. METHOD: A hopital-baed, cae-control tudy wa conducted in Perth, Wetern Autralia. Cae ubject had urgical removal of a pterygium; control ubject had an ear, noe, or throat procedure. A lifetime hitory of reidence, un expoure pattern, and ue of hat, pectacle, and unglae wa obtained at interview. Meaure of potential un expoure included latitude, daily unhine hour, and daily global olar radiant energy. The mot complex etimate of actual un expoure wa the daily ocular olar radiation doe, calculated from climatic data, time pent outdoor not under hade, and the ue of hat and pectacle. REULT: There were trong poitive aociation between pterygium and meaure of potential and actual un expoure. Aociation were a trong for whole-life meaure a for thoe in any pecific age range. Pterygium odd ratio increaed with expoure level; the odd ratio wa 4.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 10.9) for the highet quarter of the daily un expoure. The tronget aociation were een for the etimated daily ocular olar radiation doe, with an odd ratio of 6.8 (95% confidence interval, 2.6 to 19.7) for the highet quarter of expoure. CONCLUION: Pterygium i trongly related to ocular un expoure, with little evidence that expoure during any particular period of life i more important than in other period; the implication for prevention of pterygium i that ocular protection i beneficial at all age.