Credit: Zhong Y et al,

Chinese researchers studying 49 patients with macular hole, macular epiretinal membrane, retinopathy or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, found each had an average of 35 microplastic (MPs) particles in their vitreous humour.

The authors, including researchers from Shenzhen Eye Hospital, said they also observed correlations between MP levels and intraocular pressure and the presence of aqueous humour opacities. Patients with retinopathy also demonstrated heightened ocular health risks associated with MPs, they said.

Typically smaller than 50μm, the principal MPs identified were nylon 66, followed by polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene, reported the research team. “Recent investigations have unveiled a novel concern for human ocular health, demonstrating that contact lenses can release MPs after prolonged exposure to simulated solar radiation, lasting up to 300h,” they noted.

The full study was published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.