Cataract And Lens Aging Study With The Dynamic Light Sca

白内障是世界上最主要的致盲原因，目前只能通过手术摘除来治疗。手术，虽然在美国容易获得和安全进行，但在世界上许多不发达地区，如亚洲，非洲，中东和南美洲，不易获得和安全进行。因此，我们正在研究非手术治疗白内障的方法，一种新的设备有望帮助我们发现可能导致白内障的人体晶状体发生了什么，这将帮助我们找到治疗白内障的方法。关于白内障原因的一种理论是，一些因素，如阳光照射或缺乏抗氧化维生素，可能导致晶状体内的蛋白质聚集，形成不透明的高分子量“聚集体”。最近，一种被称为动态光散射装置（DLS）的装置被发明出来，用于确定分子相互作用，包括发生在透镜核中的透镜晶体相互作用。在白内障动物模型上使用新的DLS设备，我们发现了白内障出现时蛋白质聚集的证据。初步研究表明，它在发现白内障发生的早期变化方面具有潜力，在这个阶段，抗白内障治疗理论上在逆转、延缓或预防白内障方面是最有效的。美国国家航空航天局（NASA）已经开发出一种新的小型化设备，使用较低能量的激光，并将在NEI进行进一步的开发和临床测试。我们成功地将DLS装置安装在具有三维瞄准系统的角膜镜上，以提高可重复性。我们最近对正常的人类志愿者进行了一项试点研究（第一阶段），以评估该仪器用于定量晶状体变化的有效性和可重复性，并发现了良好的可重复性。我们还确定了最有用的参数是由粒度分布得出的平均粒度。我们现在进入这个项目的第二阶段，对晶状体的老化变化（年龄相关的变化）进行研究，并对三种具有代表性的白内障（核性、皮质性和PSC）进行研究。这些数据将有助于描述人类晶状体中与正常衰老相关的分子变化，以及与白内障形成相关的分子变化。有了这些信息，我们希望更好地了解白内障的潜在原因，并在未来开发药物来延缓或预防白内障的形成。

Cataracts are the foremost cause of blindness in the world and currently can be treated only by surgical removal. Surgery, although easily available and safely performed in the U.S., is not easily available nor safely performed in many undeveloped regions in the world like Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. Hence we are studying ways to treat cataracts non-surgically, and a new device promises to help us find out what happens to the human lens that may cause cataracts, which will then help us find a cure for cataracts.One theory on the cause of cataracts is that some factors such as sunlight or lack of protective anti-oxidant vitamins may cause the proteins inside the lens to aggregate to form opaque high molecular weight "aggregates". Recently, a device has been created to determine molecular interactions, including lens crystalline interactions that occur in the nucleus of the lens, called Dynamic Light Scattering Device (DLS). Using the new DLS device on animal models of cataract, we have found evidence of this aggregation of proteins as a cataract appears.Preliminary studies have shown its potential in the detection of the earliest changes occurring in cataract, at the stage where anticataract treatment would theoretically be most effective in reversing, delaying or preventing cataracts. A new miniaturized version of this device has been developed by NASA using lower energy lasers and offered for further development and clinical testing at the NEI. We mounted the DLS device successfully on the Keratoscope, which had a 3-D aiming system to enhance repeatability. We recently conducted a pilot study on normal human volunteers (Phase 1) to evaluate the usefulness and reproducibility of this instrument for quantitating lens changes, and found good reproducibility. We also determined that the most useful parameter to use is mean particle size derived from particle size distribution. We now move into Phase 2 of this project to conduct a study on changes on the lens due to aging (age related changes), as well as on the three representative types of cataracts (nuclear, cortical and PSC). These data will help characterize molecular changes in the human lens associated with normal aging as well as those associated with cataract formation. With this information, we hope to better understand the underlying causes of cataracts and, in the future, develop medications to delay or prevent cataract formation.