Clinical types of cataracts in a long-term period after acute radiation sickness

Abstract

Objective: to describe the clinical types of cataracts in the remote period after acute radiation sickness (ARS). Materials and methods. Twenty four – thirty three years after the emergency exposure, a complete ophthalmologic examination of 53 reconvalescents of ARS conducted. The average age of patients at the time of the examination was (64.6 ± 1.2) years, the average radiation dose of the examined patients was (2.39 ± 0.17) Gy. Ophthalmologic examination included visometry with and without correction, tonometry, autorefractokeratometry, biomicroscopy on a slit lamp, retroillumination photography (infrared and color) of a lens. To evaluate the results of surveys used statistical methods: calculation of average values of quantitative indicators, estimation of probability difference by Student’s method. Results. In 10 patients (17 eyes) of the 53 reconvalescents of ARS in the remote period after irradiation artifakia after surgical treatment was recognized. In all other patients, changes in the transparency of the lens were detected, and most patients had combined changes. Radiation cataract with it’s characteristic clinical picture was detected in 32 people, and in one more case, it’s first signs were recorded. But 14 reconvalescents of ARS in the remote period after irradiation had not radiation cataract. Conclusions. Radiation cataract has not been detected in 14 reconvalescents of ARS in the remote period after irradiation; the radiation doses of these patients significantly exceeds the threshold levels. Therefore, the absence of it’s signs in the remote period in individuals exposed to doses above 2 Gy may indicate that this well-known radiation-induced effect is stochastic. Further analysis of the clinical features of the len’s pathology in the reconvalescents of ARS is promising for the study of the mechanism of damage to the lens in this category of victims of the Chornobyl accident.