Lens autofluorescence is not increased at high altitude

PURPOSE: To study the relation between ambient environmental ultraviolet radiation exposure and lens fluorescence. METHODS: Non-invasive lens fluorometry measurements were compared in healthy Bolivian and Danish subjects. Background ultraviolet radiation was 4.5 times higher in Bolivia than in Denmark. RESULTS: No significant differences in lens fluorescence or transmittance were found between Bolivian and Danish volunteers. CONCLUSION: Age-corrected lens fluorescence and transmittance were comparable for healthy participants living at high altitude near the equator and healthy volunteers living at sea level at 55 degrees northern latitude. These results suggest that lens ageing, as assessed by lens autofluorometry, is independent of exposure to ultraviolet radiation.