Does it sound like an April Fool’s Day prank? Maybe! However, there’s reason to believe that scientists ‘efforts are being crowned with success as we inch towards a “non-surgical cure” for cataracts. The mere act of applying “eye drops” may succeed in solving your vision problem due to early cataracts. If you are interested to know more about this please read on…
Cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye as a result of tissue breakdown and protein clumping. There are many causes of cataracts but they mostly affect people who live into an old age. Symptoms include double or blurred vision and sensitivity to light and glare. An ophthalmologist can diagnose cataracts by examining the eyes with a viewing instrument. Cataracts are the cause of half of blindness worldwide. About 20 million people globally are blind due to cataracts.
The first references to cataracts and their treatment in Ancient Rome are found in 29 AD after the work of the Latin encyclopaedist Celsus. Other early accounts are found in Sanskrit. Cataract surgery was described by the Indian physician, Suśruta (about 200 AD). “Cataract” is derived from the Latin “cataracta”, meaning “waterfall”, and from the Ancient Greek “katarrhaktēs”, “down-rushing. As rapidly running water turns white, so the term may have been used metaphorically to describe the similar appearance of cataracts which present as glistening eye opacities.
Blindness due to cataracts presents an enormous problem in India not only in terms of human morbidity but also in terms of economic loss and social burden. The WHO/NPCB (National Programme for Control of Blindness) survey has shown that there is a backlog of over 22 million blind eyes in India, and 80.1% of these are blind due to cataract. The annual incidence of cataract blindness is about 3.8 million. Presently cataract operations are carried out in about 1.6 million patients annually. To clear the backlog of cataract cases and to tackle the rising incidence, 5 million cataract operations annually will have to be performed. India is undertaking a new long-term initiative to expand the capability of cataract surgery and service levels with financial assistance from the World Bank.
As of today the surgery known as “phacoemulsification” or “phaco” which removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial lens is the most effective treatment done only if the cataracts are causing problems. “Phaco” uses ultrasonic energy to emulsify the defective cataract lens which is sucked away. Then a plastic, foldable lens is inserted into the capsular bag that formerly contained the natural lens.
Most patients have restored visual acuity after surgery, and some will have the best vision of their lives after the insertion of IOLs (intra-ocular lenses). Many will no longer require eyeglasses or contact lenses after cataract surgery. The results are excellent with even better colour and depth perception and quick ability to resume normal activities.
But can cataracts be treated without surgery? “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. Our naturopaths offer a “cure” for the mere asking. They vouch that if you eat products rich in antioxidants you will not only prevent but even “cure” cataracts: bell and hot peppers, melons, cabbages, potatoes, berries, and citrus fruits rich in vitamin C; sweet potatoes with vitamin E; winter squash, carrots, apricots, melons with orange-colour flesh, and dark, leafy greens filled with “beta-carotene” and so on…
“If wishes were horses beggars would ride”. If naturopaths were right (and could save the day for cataract sufferers) every ophthalmologist could be driven away. But nay! Naturopathy’s claims are laughable. “Phaco” is the only thing that works and wonderfully too. That’s why our eye specialists have their hands full and you have to book them well in advance.
However, here’s some riveting news that may pinch the ophthalmologist’s pockets and gladden cataract sufferers. Recent experiments reveal that in the near future it will be possible to prevent cataracts and cure “early cataracts” with “eye drops”: a most unexpected discovery that researchers bumped into during a genetics study.
“Lanosterol”, as the wonder substance is known, can reverse the accumulation of proteins in the lens of the eye that cause cataracts, Dr. Zhang and his colleagues at the University of California-San Diego discovered. The results of the team’s work were recently published in the journal Nature and might hold promise for the tens of millions of people around the world who suffer from cataracts. What is more, it may prove to be a game changer.
Will then our eye specialists some day run out of business? Perhaps so! Lanosterol is now undergoing testing in humans and only time will tell if it will bring about the magic cure everyone is anxiously waiting for. Are you a sceptic? I urge you to look through the window of hope and one day we will succeed.
Meanwhile, as medical research steers towards a promising future, it is nice to know that acclaimed scientists are collaborating across fields to pioneer discoveries that will ultimately improve the quality of life for millions of people. A big salute to them!
(Dr. Francisco Colaço is a seniormost
consulting physician.)
