Sunlight exposure in infancy decreases risk of sporadic retinoblastoma, extent of intraocular disease

Abstract

Background: Prior ecologic studies suggest that UV exposure through sunlight to the retina might contribute to increased retinoblastoma incidence.Aims: Our study objectives were (1) to examine the relationship between exposure to sunlight during postnatal retinal development (prior to diagnosis of sporadic disease) and the risk of retinoblastoma, and (2) to examine the relationship between sun exposure during postnatal retinal development, and the extent of disease among children with unilateral and bilateral retinoblastoma. Methods and results: We interviewed 511 mothers in the EpiRbMx case-control study about their child's exposure to sunlight during postnatal retinal cell division by examining three time periods prior to Rtb diagnosis coinciding with developmental stages in which outdoor activities vary. Weekly sun exposure was compared by age period, between unilateral (n = 259), bilateral (n = 120), and control (n = 132) children, accounting for two factors affecting UV exposure: residential elevation and reported use of coverings to shield eyes. For cases, association between sunlight exposure and clinical stage was examined by laterality at each age period. After adjusting for maternal education and elevation, sun exposure was lower in cases than controls in all three age periods especially during the first 6 months, and in children 12-23 months Silvia Bhatt Carreño and Xinhua Liu are shared second authors, while M Veronica Ponce Castañeda and Lourdez Cabrera-Muñoz share the senior authorship.

Association Between Vitamin Deficiencies and Ophthalmological Conditions

“… 127 A more recent study showed that infants with higher sunlight exposure had a reduced risk of developing sporadic RB. 128 Together, these studies suggest a relationship between vitamin D and RB, however, further studies are needed to confirm the association.…”

Recent advances in photobiomodulation therapy for brain diseases

“…The scientific basis of light therapy can be traced back to the late 19th century when researchers revealed that light plays a significant role in regulating various levels of animal life activities, such as gene expression, energy metabolism, cell proliferation, skeletal development, and ontogenesis. 7,9,10 In 1895, the Danish physician Niels R. Finsen discovered that red light helped the healing of skin lesions in patients with smallpox and lupus vulgaris. 11 Subsequently, he used this method to cure nearly a thousand patients, and then paved the way for scientific light therapy, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1903.…”

Factors associated with infants’ sunlight exposure among mothers attending the EPI unit of Wolkite University Specialized Hospital

“…Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin recommended for exclusively breastfeeding infants. They can gain it through supplementation or sunlight exposure which produces it from the body [ 5 ]. The human body can generate about 80% of the vitamin D required for the body through sunlight exposure [ 6 ].…”