Noninvasive Treatment for Cataracts

One of the leading causes of blindness is cataracts, a condition that is suffered by more than 17 million individuals worldwide. A cataract is the clouding or blurring of the lens, a major part of the eye used for seeing. This condition causes blurred eyesight and can lead to blindness if not treated at the onset. Although surgery is the most effective treatment because is completely removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a lens implant; other noninvasive treatments are available as well.

Noninvasive Treatment

Aside from the usual path of surgery, there are treatments which are non-invasive in nature, which may or may not offer a guaranteed and effective result. These types of treatments include alternative and complementary therapies as well as drug therapies. Every individual may opt to undergo preventive measures to reduce the possible risk cataracts.

Aldose Reductase Inhibitors

Cataracts are among the complications often experienced by diabetic patients. They can be avoided or reduced by using aldose reductase Aldose reductase is an enzyme found in the polyol pathway which is involved in the conversion of glucose to sorbitol. According to experiments performed using diabetic animals and human subjects, it was demonstrated that the aldose reductase inhibits early stages of diabetic complications such as cataracts.

NALC

Aging is another factor in the development of cataracts. Thus, scientists in the Helmholtz Institute of Eye Disease in Moscow have researched a type of solution that may prevent or treat senile cataracts. A drug, known as n-alpha acetylcarnosine or NALC, was used as an eye drop in senile cataract patients and showed a clinical success rate within three to 12 months of its use. The human subjects noted improved eyesight within months. NALC has been used in commercial products and is administrated through eye drops, used twice drops a day, or depending on the doctor's advice.

Juice Therapy

Juice therapy is one alternative treatment to cataracts, which aims to supply the body with the necessary vitamins and minerals needful to heal itself. This type of therapy also employs antioxidants to flush out the damaging molecules that attack the lenses' proteins. Patients undergoing this therapy should follow a diet that is mainly composed of juices from fruits that contain the necessary vitamins needed by the body, such as vitamin C.

Developing Research and Treatment

Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand are studying a type of eye drop that can be used to prevent or treat cataracts. Researchers noted that the increased activity of calpain enzyme which destroys protein is the major cause of lens breakdown. It also leads to the cloudiness in the lens. To address this, the researchers are developing a compound that can be used in eye drop form and prescribed as a treatment.