Infrared radiation and cataract. III. Differences between the two eyes of glass workers.

In an epidemiologic investigation of the eyes of 209 glass workers with occupational exposure to infrared (IR) radiation and 298 non-IR-exposed controls, the two eyes were compared regarding the degree of lens opacities. The left eye was found to be the most affected in a significantly larger number of persons than the right in IR-exposed workers. The exposure to the two eyes was measured with a system of two pyroelectric radiometers monted in a face mask. The left eye was found to be exposed up to 2.3 times as much as the right in some working moments and never less. These results show a dose-effect correlation between IR-exposure and cataract.