new cataracts study challenges current wisdom
the research suggests the protein solution in the eye plays a key factor in the characteristic clouding of the lens.
2 minute read
a new study looked at eye proteins and cataracts.
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a new study is shedding light on cataracts and challenging the prevailing wisdom of the world’s leading cause of blindness.
the research, published in the journal nature structural and molecular biology, concluded that the protein solution present within the eye plays a key factor in the characteristic clouding of the lens experienced by people with cataracts. in healthy eyes, this solution is clear. “when the balance of the proteins in the lens is destroyed, they clump together and the lens becomes cloudy,” said johannes buchner, one of the study’s authors and chair of biotechnology at the technical university of munich.
there are currently more than 2.5 million canadians living with cataracts, with that number expected to double over the next 10 years. the progressive condition causes damage to the eye that accumulates over time and worsens with age because the affected proteins form in the embryo and cannot be replaced. some people are predisposed to develop the condition due to genetic factors that cause these proteins to mutate and form cataracts much earlier in life.
prior to this study, conventional wisdom held that the clouding of the lens was caused by defective proteins that clump together. however, buchner and his team found this was not the case by studying strains of mice that possessed the hereditary disposition for the condition. “we discovered that the mutated, unstable proteins in the lens were not there. they are eliminated immediately,” said buchner, explaining cataracts were caused by healthy proteins clumping together instead.
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“our model, based on these new insights, says that the balance between the various proteins, or their ratios to one another, is important. when one of these components is missing, the remaining ones interact and form clumps.”
symptoms of cataracts, which can be difficult to detect because of how slowly the condition manifests, include blurry or cloudy vision, difficulty seeing at night, seeing double or seeing colours that appear washed out or faded. repeated changes to an eye prescription may also be a telltale sign. certain activities or other medical conditions can raise the risk of developing cataracts, including smoking or drinking too much, diabetes, suffering an eye injury or spending excessive amounts of time in the sun.
while surgery is often used to correct compromised vision by implanting an artificial lens, the study opens the door to new, drug-based therapies that may one day make this option unnecessary. there is still plenty of work to do before this possibility comes into focus but it may just be a matter of time.
“never before has there been such a comprehensive investigation of the lenses in mice, comparing wild populations and mutants,” buchner said. “if you understand exactly what is happening, you can also think about ways that might use medication to disrupt the bad interactions.
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“but we have a long way to go — and first we need to show that the proposed model also applies to the lens in the human eye.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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