PURPOSE Cataract is a very prevalent ocular disorder, and environmental risk factors for age-related cataracts have been widely investigated. We aimed to evaluate an association of dietary sodium intake and socioeconomic factors with the development of age-related cataracts. METHODS A cross-sectional case-control study based on the 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Sur...

In Western countries, ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer has been studied extensively regarding the high incidence of skin cancers in the white population; however, for people of color, cataracts are the main public health issue in relation to increased ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR). To our knowledge, few studies have been conducted examining the relationship between cataracts and ambie...

We examined the effects of GP-1447 (3-[(4,5,7-trifluorobenzothiazol-2-yl)methyl]-5-methylphenyl acetic acid) on existing cataracts and sorbitol content in the lens in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. GP-1447 is an inhibitor of aldose reductase, which is the first enzyme in the polyol pathway. Cataracts in the central region of the lens were observed in 7 of 14 eyes (50%) by the fifth ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The risk of cataracts associated with the long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is poorly recognized, yet may be of major public health importance. The aim of this study was to determine the dose-response relationship of ICS use and risk of cataracts in adults. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of case-control studies of cataracts an...

Background: In response to the need for diagnosis and treatment, medical radiation has been increasingly used worldwide. This study investigated the medical utilization of radiation-related diseases among radiological technologists (RTs) and factors that influence such diseases. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A panel study...

PURPOSE To evaluate risk factors associated with nuclear and cortical cataracts among a hospital based sample of subjects in Southern India. METHODS In this hospital-based study, 3,549 subjects including 2,090 male and 1,459 female individuals aged 45 years and over were randomly screened for nuclear and cortical cataracts. Lens opacity was graded and classified after pupil dilation using the...

Visual plasticity peaks during early critical periods of normal visual development. Studies in animals and humans provide converging evidence that gains in visual function are minimal and deficits are most severe when visual deprivation persists beyond the critical period. Here we demonstrate visual development in a unique sample of patients who experienced extended early-onset blindness (begin...

Cataracts are a major cause of human blindness. Aldose reductase (AR) is an important rate-limiting enzyme that contributes to cataract induction in diabetic patients. Scopoletin is the main bioactive constituent of flower buds from Magnolia fargesii and is known to inhibit AR activity. To assess scopoletin's ability to mitigate sugar cataract formation in vivo, we studied its effects in a rat ...

Six glycosidases were determined in: (1) lenses of alloxan-diabetic rats; (2) rabbit lenses incubated in high-glucose media in vitro; and (3) human senile cataracts, diabetic senile cataracts, and autopsy lenses. In diabetic rat lenses, the activities of /3-glucosaminidase, fi-galactosidase, and P-fucosidase increased with cataract progression as compared to control lenses. Glycosidase activiti...