Association between exposure to artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation and ocular diseases: a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

The objective of this review will be to determine the association between exposure to artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation and ocular diseases. Numerous studies have established the association between natural ultraviolet radiation and ocular diseases in humans. However, the evidence of the association between artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation and ocular diseases has not been reviewed. The proposed review will include studies with participants of any age and sex, and documented exposure to artificial sources of ultraviolet radiation and incidence of ocular diseases. Databases including PubMed and Embase will be searched. Study selection and full-text screening will be done by two independent reviewers. The search results will be presented in a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. Critical appraisal of the eligible studies for methodological quality will be conducted using JBI checklists. All studies, regardless of their methodological quality, will undergo data extraction and synthesis using standardized data extraction tools. Quantitative papers will, where possible, be pooled in statistical meta-analysis. Heterogeneity will be assessed statistically using the standard χ, and also explored using relevant subgroup analyses based on the different quantitative study designs included in this review. Where statistical pooling is not possible, the findings will be presented in narrative form including tables and figures. PROSPERO CRD42019129372.