Obialo Iwunze Osigwe Email: oosigw@salus.edu Phone: +234 703 728 3333
Abstract
Context: The effectiveness of therapeutic agents in treating age-related cataract has been studied by many authorities, and no concrete findings have been documented to encourage further discussion on follow-up studies and pharmaceutical trials.
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic agents in the treatment of age-related cataract.
Data Sources: The search engines employed include PUBMED and EBSCO research Databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, E-journals and Open Dissertations).
Study Selection: The keywords used were “age-related cataract”, “drug treatment”, “cataract” and “pharmacotherapy”. There was no language restriction. Studies were randomised controlled trials and quasi-experiments that reported relative risks, odds ratios or hazard ratios with 95% CI for their reported results.
Data Extraction: Independent mining of articles by one author applying already defined data fields, including study value pointers. Data Synthesis: The data were compiled on a spreadsheet and analysed according to the study’s parameters of interest.
Results: 90 per cent of the studies reported a measure of effects on age-related cataracts in humans and enucleated cataractous human lens nuclei, horses, dogs, and goats, and induced cataracts in rats and rabbits.
Conclusions: Many substances have been researched and shown to inhibit the development and progression of age-related cataract in human eyes and in selenite and diabetic cataracts in animal models. It is possible to ameliorate cataract with pharmacotherapy once the right combination of agents is discovered.
Keywords: Age-related cataract, pharmacotherapy, cataract, drug treatment.