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Microplastic entry into the ocular surface through eye drops usage
Summary
Researchers detected microplastics in commercial eye drops and on the ocular surfaces of human volunteers, then confirmed in rat experiments that these particles can penetrate the eye, enter the bloodstream, elevate oxidative stress, and trigger ocular inflammation — identifying eye drops as a previously overlooked microplastic exposure route.
Microplastics can enter the human body through various pathways, but their entry into the eyes remains unproven. Since commercial eye drops contain large amounts of microplastics, we hypothesized that microplastics could enter the eyes when applying eye drops. We analyzed 5 samples of eye drops, and ocular surface lavage fluid from 14 volunteers. Then we studied the migration of microplastics and their ocular damage in in vivo rat experiments. Results show a widespread occurrence of microplastics in eye drops and on human ocular surface. We also found that microplastics can even enter the bloodstream via ocular surface. Overall, commercial eye drops appear as an overlooked pathway for microplastic deposition on the human ocular surface. As a consequence, microplastics could elevate ocular oxidative stress, and trigger ocular inflammation.