Optical Modeling and Physical Experiments on Ocular UV Manikins Exposure

The prevalence of age-related cataracts is higher in Asians than Caucasians. Ocular ultraviolet (UV) exposure is an important environmental risk factor leading to age-related cataracts. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the effects of facial anatomy on ocular UV exposure between Asians and Europeans. We built optical models with 3D-printed Asian and European manikins that could truly reflect the typical facial features of Asians and Europeans, monitored the ambient and ocular UV exposure using these models in Fuxin (42.00°N, 121.69°E), China, and used 3ds Max software to model the effects of the facial anatomy structures on the light entering the eyes by rendering the resulting shadows. We found that the ocular UV exposure intensity in the Asian manikin was higher than that in the European manikin at a rotation angle of 282° to 354° when the solar elevation angle (SEA) was approximately 30° to 60° and at a rotation angle of 150° toward the sun when the SEA was approximately above 60°. Based on the optical models we built, we conclude that, due to the differences in the superciliary arch and glabella, the risk of high ocular UV exposure is greater in the Asian manikin than in the European manikin. Our findings provide grounds for speculation about whether the blocking effect of the superciliary arch and glabella of the European manikin on ocular UV exposure is one of the reasons for the higher prevalence of age-related cataracts in Asians than in Europeans.