A new dawn for cataracts.

Abstract

Cataract, a clouding of the eye lens, is the major cause of blindness in the world, accounting for about 20 million cases (1). Treatment is surgical—the opaque, cataractous lens is replaced with an artificial, plastic one. Many people in the developing world become blind due to cataracts because of a lack of medical resources. A new drug treatment for cataracts based on eye drops would remove this obstacle, as current agents and dietary recommendations are generally ineffective. The findings of Makley et al. (2) reported on page 674 of this issue, and by Zhao et al. (3) may substantially boost the cataract pharmacopoeia.