Richard L. Lindstrom, MD , 2025-04-21 14:18:00
April 21, 2025
2 min read
I have shared my thoughts on climate change and plastic pollution twice before in Healio | OSN. For in-depth comments, I direct any interested readers to my Aug. 10, 2022, and March 25, 2024, Lindstrom’s Perspective.
With the annual American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting scheduled for April 25-28 in Los Angeles, it is timely to review this topic. David Chang, MD, during his leadership at ASCRS, conceptualized the EyeSustain project, which is gathering wide support in the United States and worldwide. David deserves great respect for his founding efforts and our mutual appreciation for his continuing leadership of the now global EyeSustain movement.
Climate change is real and frightening to most. The global temperature increased 2°F over the past 200 years. Experts in the field project another 2°F increase by 2050. Most of we humans and our fellow inhabitants on Earth can likely adapt to this incremental change, but weather changes and their impact on agriculture and the fish in our oceans are expected to result in significant famine in many parts of the world. With no change in human behavior, the temperature is projected to increase another 2°F by 2100. Experts suggest that this level of temperature increase could render as many as 50% of the Earth’s current living species extinct and have a devastating effect on the quality of life of future generations of humankind.
At the same time, pollution from plastics and the microplastic particles created during plastic degradation are a growing threat. In each of our oceans, there are continent-sized accumulations of degrading plastics that enter the food chain as they are ingested by fish, which are then eaten by other fish, birds and land-based mammals, including us. The aerial photographs of these “continents” of plastic in our oceans are startling to all.
Individually and collectively, ophthalmologists have a carbon and plastic pollution footprint. There are websites where you can calculate your personal and practice carbon and plastic pollution footprint. I have done so, and my numbers were truly eye opening. I encourage all our readers to do the same.
The magnitude of the issue of climate change and plastic pollution is so large that it is daunting to believe that a single individual can make a difference. Still, history confirms that individuals taking action and modifying their personal behavior is the only way to affect these mega-issues. Each of us acting individually every day at home and in our practices can make a difference. We owe it to our children and future generations to be thoughtful and get educated about these issues and then to act in a constructive way.
- For more information:
- Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, can be reached at rllindstrom@mneye.com.
Sources/Disclosures
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Source:
Expert Submission
Disclosures:
Lindstrom reports having disclosures for Minesota Eye Consultants and Unifeye Vision Partners.
