VASCULAR PATHOLOGY OF AN EYE AND THE THREAT OF DEVELOPING AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION AFTER RADIATION EXPOSURE

Abstract

On the contrary to the previous expectations, the most common Chornobyl catastrophe victim’s pathology was the vascular pathology of an eye. The work is devoted to the assessment of changes in capillary tubes, arterioles and venules, which were irradiated as a result of Chornobyl catastrophe and those who have been exposed to radiation while working in the Chornobyl exclusion zone. The results of eye vascular system examination is presented by 615 persons: 358 Chornobyl clean-up workers, inspected in 1993–1994, 2007–2008 and 257 participants of works at the «Shelter» object, that were inspected in 2007–2008 and in 2017. Microcirculatory damages in conjunctiva are the most early ionizing radiation induced eye damage. Dose dependence from microcirculatory damages in conjunctiva has been proved. The conjunctiva index, which characterizes the evaluation degree of microcirculatory abnormalities value for individuals irradiated at a dose of up to 10 mSv was 5.33±0.34, at a dose of 10 to 30 mSv – 9.71±0.93. Thus, a significant (t=4.42, p<0.05) increase in the display of microcirculatory abnormalities in conjunctiva was revealed with an increase in the dose load. In the correlation analysis, there was found a direct connection, r = 0.48, between the conjunctiva index and the dose of irradiation. The expressive tendency to correlate the negative dynamics of the macular zone with the degree of deterioration of microcirculation shows the effect of microcirculatory disorders on the development of age-related macular degeneration. At the correlation analysis, there was found a direct connection of significant decreased number of functioning capillaries with the deterioration of the macular zone of the retina (r=0.37). It is also advisable to appoint prophylactic complexes of lutein and zeoxanthine to patients in the case of microcirculatory disorders.