Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Abstract

Age-Related Human Nuclear Cataract. A Condition due to Inexorable Protein Deterioration

Roger Truscott

Nuclear cataract stems from the inexorable breakdown of long-lived macromolecules in the human lens. Although this realization is quite new, and the details of several events need to be determined, the overall framework is now reasonably clear. Racemisation, deamidation and truncation are the main drivers of protein denaturation, although understanding these processes leads to a conclusion that the prospects for reversing lens opacification are remote. Since age-related cataract appears to be inevitable, future strategies for slowing cataract formation may depend on a detailed examination of people who retain clear lenses into their eighth and ninth decades.