Incidence of Refractive Errors in Victims of Chemical Weapons as Delayed Effects

Abstract

Introduction: Many victims of chemical warfare (VCW) manifest some degree of refractive errors which were not present before exposure. These refractive errors are presumably long‐term (delayed) effects of sulfur mustard exposure. However, no related research studies have been done to confirm this. Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism are the refractive errors of the eye and prevalence of these errors depends on several factors such as hereditary factors, age, profession, and also several geographical factors. The effect of sulfur mustard on the eye may be very complex and relates basically to the intensity of the injury. Sulfur mustard targets the cornea resulting in early effects of exposure. The delayed effects of exposure are less documented and are discussed in this study. Materials and Method: In this study, cross‐sectional study refractive errors were studied as one of the delayed effects of sulfur mustard in VCW. 2252 eyes of VCW and 2248 normal eyes were chosen as controls. The mean age of both grou...