Lipman, 1988  Title: Cataracts induced by microwave and ionizing
radiation.
Authors: Lipman RM, Tripathi BJ, Tripathi RC
Journal: Surv Ophthalmol 1988 Nov-Dec;33(3):200-10
PMID: 3068822
Affiliated institution: Department
of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, Illinois.
Cited in:
Microwave hair removal is not cleared by FDA for use on the head
or near the eyes. Medical literature has shown that microwave
radiation taken in concentrated doses to the eyes can cause cataracts
and other damage.
Microwaves most commonly cause anterior and/or posterior subcapsular
lenticular opacities in experimental animals and, as shown in
epidemiologic studies and case reports, in human subjects. The
formation of cataracts seems to be related directly to the power
of the microwave and the duration of exposure. The mechanism of
cataractogenesis includes deformation of heat-labile enzymes,
such as glutathione peroxide, that ordinarily protect lens cell
proteins and membrane lipids from oxidative damage. Oxidation
of protein sulfhydryl groups and the formation of high-molecular-weight
aggregates cause local variations in the orderly structure of
the lens cells. An alternative mechanism is thermoelastic expansion
through which pressure waves in the aqueous humor cause direct
physical damage to the lens cells. Cataracts induced by ionizing
radiation (e.g., X-rays and gamma rays) usually are observed in
the posterior region of the lens, often in the form of a posterior
subcapsular cataract. Increasing the dose of ionizing radiation
causes increasing opacification of the lens, which appears after
a decreasing latency period. Like cataract formation by microwaves,
cataractogenesis induced by ionizing radiation is associated with
damage to the lens cell membrane. Another possible mechanism is
damage to lens cell DNA, with decreases in the production of protective
enzymes and in sulfur-sulfur bond formation, and with altered
protein concentrations. Until further definitive conclusions about
the mechanisms of microwaves and ionizing radiation induced cataracts
are reached, and alternative protective measures are found, one
can only recommend mechanical shielding from these radiations
to minimize the possibility of development of radiation-induced
cataracts.
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