Macular Degeneration: Case-Report of a Peculiar Sunlight Exposure in an Agricultural Worker

Occupational exposure to sunlight, and in particular to blue light (wavelength of 380-550 nm), is a risk factor for several pathologies, including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). This paper reports the singular case of a woman occupied in agriculture, from 15 to 25 years of age and without any other occupational exposure, that later developed an AMD. The case is of particular interest given that she served as “mondina”, a task consisting in the transplantation of little rice plants into water-flooded fields and in the manual cleaning of plantations from infesting grasses. This employment, although replaced by the introduction of pesticides, entailed the exposure to sunlight reflection on the water surface in addition to direct exposure to the natural light. This brief case-report point out that occupational exposures to the short wavelength component of visible light deserve further attention to set preventive measures and to adopt the adequate personal protective equipments, in particular in such a productive sector like agriculture.