I spy with my little eye...


...A huge breakthrough in the field of Ophthalmology. Diseases of the eye are a heavy burden that many people have to endure. Being blind or partial-sighted can make seemingly trivial tasks inexplicably more difficult.

Although, a new treatment has been developed for one of the most common eye diseases; Cataracts- which is when changes in the lenses of the eyes causes them to become cloudy resulting in impaired vision. It usually develops over many years(usually in elderly people) ,therefore problems may be unnoticeable at first. However, although rare,  it is possible for children to be affected by Cataracts either from birth(congenital cataracts) or as they develop and this can be caused by genetic defects, trauma to the eye or some infections. Cataracts often develop in both eyes, although each eye may be affected differently.
Cataracts may also affect sight in the following ways:
  • Difficulty seeing in Dim or excessively bright light
  • Discomfort when exposed to glare
  • Colours appear faded
  • yellow/brown tinge to vision
  • Double vision 
Cataracts aren't painful but the impaired vision can cause difficulty in performing everyday tasks.

The revolutionising treatment involves firstly removing the cataract from within the lens through a miniscule incision but leaving the lens capsule fully intact, where the stem cells that line the lens are preserved and can fully regenerate the lens and restore vision. This prevents the need for lens replacement- the current treatment for cataracts- and thus reduces the risk of any possible complications aswell as the natural lens having greater effectiveness than the artificial lens anyway.

This ground breaking treatment has so far stormed through trials on rabbits, monkeys and a small sample of 12 children with very positive results. Although larger trials are needed before it can be deemed the ideal treatment for cataracts.Unfortunately, cataracts is most prevalent amongst the elderly however tests have been started in older patients and the results are looking promising.

A whole new world of possibilities in the field of medicine has been opened up following this breakthrough and regeneration may be seen in the future to treat a range of ailments.

Thanks for reading this weeks blog.
Written by Christopher Morgan.

Sources:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cataracts-age-related/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cataracts-childhood/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35762713

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