Looking Ahead – How Will the Climate Crisis Impact Eyecare?

Summary The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has warned that the ongoing climate crisis poses a ‘threat to eye health’. Currently, one in five of us will experience sight loss in our lifetime, but with numerous growing threats, sight loss is set to double by 2050. So, how much of this increase can be attributed to climate change? This article explores the mechanisms by which climate change contributes to ocular disease burden and argues that the medical community can act to stop its impact from materialising; whether it may be reducing single-use plastics to decrease global incidence of conjunctivitis, educating patients to result in fewer cataract cases or recycling equipment to reduce glaucoma prevalence. Relevance The doctors of the future will be managing the health implications of the climate crisis and also be the ones attempting to stop it. Knowing the ocular diseases which will become more clinically relevant and knowing how to practice sustainably should make better, more prepared clinicians. Additionally, by understanding the effects of the climate, they can advise patients on how they can protect their eyes from its effects, to slow the rising of sight loss in the UK. Take home messages The climate crisis results in ocular diseases ranging from uveitis to conjunctivitis to acute and open angle glaucoma via. multiple mechanisms. Patients can preserve their eye health, for example through the use of UV-protective sunglasses, or by consumption of an antioxidant-rich diet. Healthcare results in 5% of the Earth’s carbon footprint, making sustainable practise a necessity. Individually, we can prescribe dry powder rather than metered dose inhalers to have 10x less the carbon footprint and wear washable scrub hats to reduce unnecessary waste. On a wider scale, hospitals can change policy, minimise single-use plastic equipment usage and encourage telemedicine to cut emissions by greater amounts.