Heba Khodary Allam1, Shaimaa Soliman1, Tamer Wasfy2, Ahmed Ghoneim2, Yasser Serag2, Grace Sembajwe3. 1. 1 Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt. 2. 2 Ophthalmology Department, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. 3. 3 Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences, CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Organic solvents are widely used in many industries, and usually, exposure occurs with mixtures of solvents. Organic solvent mixtures are known for their ability to affect tissues of high lipid content including the myelin sheath in the nervous system. The purpose of this work was to study the evidence that long-term (more than 10 years) exposure to organic solvent mixtures among painters can induce neuro-ophthalmological effects on the function of retinal ganglion cells and the optic tract. METHODS: Twenty workers with long-term occupational exposure to mixed organic solvents were compared to 40 control subjects. The controls were matched for age, gender, and demographic characteristics but were not occupationally exposed to any known organic solvents, using the following comparators: visual evoked potential (VEP), electroretinogram (ERG), color vision (CV), and contrast sensitivity (CS) testing. Environmental monitoring was done in the work environment with consideration to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values (ACGIH-TLVs). RESULTS: The exposed group had significantly longer latency and higher amplitude of VEP waves especially P100, higher Color Confusion Index (CCI), especially affecting the blue-yellow spectrum, and lower Log CS. There was no significant difference between exposed and nonexposed groups in full-field flash ERG response; however, in the pattern ERG, the exposed group had significantly longer latency of P50, which reflects changes in the retinal ganglion cell. CONCLUSION: Long-term occupational exposure to mixed organic solvents appeared to affect the optic tract functions in the form of increasing latency of VEP response, affecting the quality of CV and decreasing CS. It also affects the retinal ganglion cell layer with increased latency of P50 of the pattern ERG response.
PURPOSE: Organic solvents are widely used in many industries, and usually, exposure occurs with mixtures of solvents. Organic solvent mixtures are known for their ability to affect tissues of high lipid content including the myelin sheath in the nervous system. The purpose of this work was to study the evidence that long-term (more than 10 years) exposure to organic solvent mixtures among painters can induce neuro-ophthalmological effects on the function of retinal ganglion cells and the optic tract. METHODS: Twenty workers with long-term occupational exposure to mixed organic solvents were compared to 40 control subjects. The controls were matched for age, gender, and demographic characteristics but were not occupationally exposed to any known organic solvents, using the following comparators: visual evoked potential (VEP), electroretinogram (ERG), color vision (CV), and contrast sensitivity (CS) testing. Environmental monitoring was done in the work environment with consideration to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values (ACGIH-TLVs). RESULTS: The exposed group had significantly longer latency and higher amplitude of VEP waves especially P100, higher Color Confusion Index (CCI), especially affecting the blue-yellow spectrum, and lower Log CS. There was no significant difference between exposed and nonexposed groups in full-field flash ERG response; however, in the pattern ERG, the exposed group had significantly longer latency of P50, which reflects changes in the retinal ganglion cell. CONCLUSION: Long-term occupational exposure to mixed organic solvents appeared to affect the optic tract functions in the form of increasing latency of VEP response, affecting the quality of CV and decreasing CS. It also affects the retinal ganglion cell layer with increased latency of P50 of the pattern ERG response.
Authors: J Vernon Odom; Michael Bach; Mitchell Brigell; Graham E Holder; Daphne L McCulloch; Alma Patrizia Tormene Journal: Doc Ophthalmol Date: 2009-10-14 Impact factor: 2.379
Authors: William K Boyes; Mark Bercegeay; Laura Degn; Tracey E Beasley; Paul A Evansky; Jean Claude Mwanza; Andrew M Geller; Charles Pinckney; T Michael Nork; Philip J Bushnell Journal: Neurotoxicology Date: 2016-02-17 Impact factor: 4.294