Eye lens radiation exposure in greek interventional cardiology personnel

Abstract

Introduction The exposure of the radiosensitive eye lenses to ionizing radiation can lead to radiation-induced cataract, which is usually detected earlier than the age-related cataract. Purpose In the framework of the study, measurements of the eye lens doses of Interventional Cardiologists (ICs) were performed. An attempt was made to calculate retrospectively their eye lens doses and compare them with the probability for radiation-induced cataract. Materials and methods The study included ICs from different health centers of Athens and unexposed workers. Each participant underwent two clinical eye examinations and the detected lens opacities (nuclear, cortical or posterior subcapsular) were classified according to LOCS III protocol. Moreover, the lens doses of the ICs were measured using special designed eye dosemeters. Results 43 ICs (mean age = 48.8 ± 6.7 years) and 22 unexposed workers (mean age = 48.2 ± 5.0 years) participated at the study. The mean dose to the eye lenses of the ICs per month was 0.74 ± 0.53 mSv, while the maximum annual dose was calculated 28 mSv/yr, much higher than the occupational annual dose limit of 20 mSv/yr. Regarding the lens opacities, the two groups did not differ significantly in the prevalence of either nuclear or cortical lens opacities, whereas 4 ICs where detected with early stage subcapsular sclerosis. Conclusion Though no statistically significant difference was observed in the cohort, the measured doses and the cumulative ones indicate that the ICs receive high eye lens doses. In order to minimize the radiation induced risk at the eye lenses, the use of radioprotective equipment and appropriate training on this issue is highly recommended.