304 Risk of occupational cataract in interventional cardiology: The O’CLOC study

Interventional cardiologists are repeatedly and acutely exposed to scattered ionizing radiations (X-rays) during their diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. These exposures may cause damages to the eye and induce early lens-opacities, known as radiation-induced cataracts. The O’CLOC study (Occupational Cataracts and Lens Opacities among Cardiologists) is the first epidemiological study designed to test the hypothesis of an increased risk of cataracts among interventional cardiologists as compared with cardiologists not exposed to X-rays. This multicenter crosss-sectional study will include a total of 300 cardiologists aged > 40 years: a group of interventional cardiologists (≈ 2/3 coronary interventionists and 1/3 electrophysiologists) and a group of unexposed cardiologists (clinicians or echocardiographists), both groups being matched for age, sex and place of work. Individual information, including risk factors of cataracts (age, diabetes, myopia, etc…), will be collected during a telephone interview. For the exposed group, a specific section of the questionnaire is focused on the occupational history, the description of the procedures (type, frequency, radiation protection tool) and will be used for the classification into “comparable exposure level” groups according to estimates of cumulative dose. For all participants, eye examinations will be performed to specifically detect cataracts, even in their early stages (lens opacities, LOCS according to the international standard classification). The analysis will provide an estimation of the risk of cataract in interventional cardiology relative to not-exposed reference group, taking into account other risk factors. An analysis comparing the risks according to the level of exposure is also planned. This epidemiological study will provide further knowledge on the potential risk of occupational radiation-induced cataracts in cardiology and will contribute to the awareness of cardiologists in radiation protection.