Air pollution could be a risk factor for the development of pterygium. This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between outpatient visits for pterygium and air pollutants. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design, the data of 3017 outpatients with pterygium visiting an eye center in Hangzhou, China, and the air pollution data of the Environmental Protection Department of Zhejiang Province between July 1, 2014, and November 30, 2019, were examined. The relationships between the air pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone, and fine particulate matter (PM) with median aerometric diameter <2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and <10 μm (PM₁₀) and outpatient visits for primary pterygium were assessed using single- and multiple-pollutant models. Significant associations between outpatient visits for pterygium and air pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂) were observed. Younger patients were found to be more sensitive to air pollution. Interestingly, the younger female patients with pterygium were more vulnerable to PM_2.5 exposure during the warm season, while the younger male patients with pterygium were more sensitive to NO₂ during the cold season. Significant effects were also observed between the pterygium outpatients and PM_2.5 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, P = 0.02), PM₁₀ (OR = 1.04, P = 0.01), and SO₂ (OR = 1.26, P = 0.01) during the warm season, as well as NO₂ (OR = 1.06, P = 0.01) during the cold season. Our study provides evidence that outpatient visits for pterygium are positively associated with increases in the air pollutants PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂, revealing the important role of air pollution in the occurrence and development of pterygium.

空气污染可能是翼状胬肉发展的危险因素。本研究旨在调查翼状胬肉门诊就诊与空气污染物之间的潜在关联。采用时间分层病例交叉设计，2014年7月1日至2019年11月30日杭州市眼科中心3017例翼状胬肉门诊患者数据和浙江省环保厅大气污染数据，进行了检查。大气中值直径<2.5 μm (PM _2.5 ) 和<10 μm (PM ₁₀ )的空气污染物二氧化氮（NO ₂）、二氧化硫（SO ₂）、臭氧和细颗粒物（PM）之间的关系) 和原发性翼状胬肉的门诊就诊使用单一和多种污染物模型进行评估。观察到翼状胬肉门诊与空气污染物（PM _2.5、PM ₁₀、SO ₂和NO ₂）之间存在显着关联。发现年轻患者对空气污染更敏感。有趣的是，年轻女性翼状胬肉患者在暖季更容易受到 PM _2.5暴露，而年轻男性翼状胬肉患者在寒冷季节对 NO ₂更敏感。在翼状胬肉门诊患者和 PM _2.5之间也观察到显着影响（优势比 [OR] = 1.06，P  = 0.02），PM₁₀ (OR = 1.04, P  = 0.01) 和 SO ₂ (OR = 1.26, P  = 0.01) 在温暖季节，以及 NO ₂ (OR = 1.06, P  = 0.01) 在寒冷季节。我们的研究提供的证据表明，翼状胬肉门诊就诊与空气污染物PM _2.5、PM ₁₀、SO ₂和NO _{2 的}增加呈正相关，揭示了空气污染在翼状胬肉发生发展中的重要作用。