Ophthalmologic study in atomic bomb survivors

Recent reports have indicated that late onset radiation cataract and early onset senile cataract had developed by radiation exposure at juvenile period. This study is to conduct an ophthalmologic study on A-bomb survivors who were exposed at juvenile period. Subjects: Those who were age 13 or less at the time of the bombs and those who had the previous ophthalmologic examination during 1978-1980 among AHS participants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Slit lamp examination, digital photograph, and classification by the Lens Opacity Classification System II. Worse eye grade represents for individuals who have different grades of two eyes. By using age, sex, city and dose as explanatory variables, proportional odds logistic regression analysis was conducted taking no finding group as a reference among opacity groups for nuclear color, nuclear opacity, cortical opacity, and posterior subcapsular opacity. During June 2000 - September 2002, 873 persons underwent the ophthalmologic examination. Statistical significance was not observed in nuclear color and nuclear opacity, but statistical significance was observed in cortical and posterior subcapsular opacities (p <0.001, both). It was true among newly detected cases, excluding 13 persons with posterior subcapsular opacity, detected in the previous study (p <0.001). In the relationship between radiation exposure and lens findings in A-bomb survivors, a statistically significant association was observed in late onset radiation cataract and early onset senile cataract