Cataract is the leading cause of blindness: Dr Saurabh Choudhry

Vision loss is a loss of sight that can have various effects on you. Vision loss may result from bodily or ocular conditions. It might be upsetting to lose your vision. To have access to efficient medical care and treatment, you might benefit from being aware of the symptoms and underlying reasons. Dr Saurabh Choudhry, CEO, ICARE Eye Hospital, Noida, speaks to The Sunday Guardian:
Q. What are the primary reasons for vision loss? Who is most vulnerable?
A. Cataract, which is a clouding of the lens in the eye due to age, is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Other causes of vision loss include glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, vein occlusion associated with hypertension, uncorrected refractive errors, vitamin A deficiency, trauma, and retinal disorders and detachments. Vision problems are one of the top five disabilities globally and one of the most common disabilities in children worldwide. Cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration are conditions that typically occur after the age of 45–50 years, so the elderly are more susceptible to developing eye problems.
Q. How can age-related macular degeneration (AMD) be prevented?
A. AMD, or retinal degeneration, affects an individual’s central vision. There are two types of AMD: “wet,” which progresses rapidly, and “dry,” which progresses slowly. The causes of AMD include changes in pigments in the eye, fat deposits (drusen), thickening of layers (choroid) of the eyeball, thinning of the retina, and new blood vessels forming, leading to leakage, scarring, fluid exudation, and internal bleeding. The factors that contribute to AMD include age above 60 years, smoking, family history of AMD, high blood pressure, obesity, decreased intake of nutrients (antioxidants and zinc), and exposure to UV rays. Symptoms of AMD include blurry vision, a drop in vision, central blind spots, and, in advanced stages, central blindness. Individuals over the age of 50 should be screened for retinal changes regularly, and if early signs of AMD are detected, they can be advised to make lifestyle changes (such as quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, exercising more, and increasing antioxidant and supplement intake).
Q. What is stem cell therapy, and how can it help treat blindness and degenerative eye diseases?
A. Stem cell therapy, or regenerative medicine, involves using stem cells or their derivatives to promote the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional, or injured tissue.
Researchers cultivate stem cells in a lab that are manipulated to specialise in specific types of cells. Stem cells are the body’s raw maternal cells, from which other specialised cells are generated. They can be modulated under specific conditions to regenerate and heal various diseases.
Stem cell transplants are a new and evolving modality for treating various diseases, including retinal degeneration. Stem cells have been tested in several clinical trials, and the approach includes transplanting different types of cells from various sources at different stages of differentiation. Some of them have shown promising results for the treatment of various retinal disorders, although there are several challenges before it becomes a mainstream treatment modality as rejection rates are high. Nonetheless, research is making progress, and in the coming years, it can be a helpful treatment option for individuals with retinal degeneration. If an individual has AMD, their retina should be monitored to determine the type of AMD, and if it’s the “wet” type, it should be treated with intraocular injections of anti-vascular growth factors.