The ongoing climate changes are impacting the stability of healthcare systems, governments, and local communities significantly, along with our health, and are becoming a global emergency. All around the world, environmental deterioration, air pollution, and climate change are having catastrophic repercussions, affecting low-income populations and creating a medical burden. 

Climate change is predicted to significantly restrict access to healthcare by driving already vulnerable communities into extreme poverty. These are affecting human health overall, including the eyes. Since the eyes are exposed to the environment, any climate change, dryness, or air pollution impacts them. It is believed that excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes about 20% of cataract cases.

Low rainfall and high temperatures have been associated in early research to increased trachoma infection. Changes in normal rainfall patterns, which result in floods and droughts and harm crops, are likely to increase food poverty and vitamin A deficiency. Extreme weather conditions might also increase physical injuries, including eye injuries, and prior studies have indicated that those with disabilities and visual impairments are especially susceptible.

Around the world, hurricanes and windstorms have resulted in the temporary closure or destruction of medical facilities and supply chains for vital medical goods such as drugs, surgical supplies, eyeglasses, and visual aids. The number of people with visual impairment will rise due to the anticipated increase in eye disorders and disruption of ocular health services. 

This emphasizes the urgent need to explain the urgency of climatic changes and how harmful they can be to eye health to modify people′s behaviour, elicit a more comprehensive response from world leaders, and stop the catastrophic development of eye illnesses in the future.

(Source: https://theprint.in/health/how-climate-change-is-putting-your-eyes-at-risk/1367656/)