Page 34 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition March-April 2021
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N N NEW STUDY ON of therapeutic exploration neurodegeneration,” states
W
“The study opens avenues
Dr. Nicolas G. Bazan, Boyd
M
C
A
L
M
G G GLAUCOMA highlighting the significance Professor, Ernest C. and Ivette
of the omega-3 fatty acid C. Villere Chair of Retinal
chemical messengers’ Degeneration, and Director
G Glaucoma patients are antioxidant capacity as a of the Neuroscience Center of
usually associated with potential diagnostic biomarker Excellence at LSU Health New
having high intraocular and as a novel treatment Orleans School of Medicine.
pressure. However, in a first- to prevent glaucomatous
of-its-kind study, a team of
researchers from LSU Health
New Orleans Neuroscience
Center of Excellence and the CONSUMING ALCOHOL
University of Copenhagen, REDUCES CATARACT
indicate that patients with
ocular hypertension may show SURGERY RISK
higher antioxidant protection
that helps resist the elevated A new study reveals that was needed to investigate
intraocular pressure associated the role of alcohol in the
adults who consume low to
with glaucoma. development of cataracts.
moderate alcohol and are
As per a paper published well within the maximum “We observed a dose-
in the Journal of Clinical UK weekly limit of 14 units response with our findings
Medicine, researchers have per week, are less likely to – in other words, there was
found a novel mechanism undergo cataract surgery. evidence for reducing chance
to explain why patients with of requiring future cataract
ocular hypertension do not The researchers who surgery with progressively
have glaucoma. The study examined data from more higher alcohol intake, but
evaluates oxidative stress and than 490,000 people only up to moderate levels
antioxidative agents in patients captured in the UK Biobank within current guidelines,”
with normal-tension glaucoma and EPIC-Norfolk cohort he revealed.
and ocular hypertension during studies, also found that
oxygen stress. chances of needing cataract Co-study author, Dr
surgery among wine drinkers Sharon Chua, opined that
The research team found was fairly less. cataracts could be caused
that patients with ocular as a result of oxidative stress
hypertension have increased According to the due to ageing. “The fact that
antioxidant capacity and higher researchers, people who
our findings were particularly
levels of anti-inflammatory, drank wine five or more
evident in wine drinkers may
omega-3 derived chemical times per week were 23% less suggest a protective role
messengers involved in likely to develop cataracts of polyphenol antioxidants,
sustaining cell function in than non-drinkers in the which are especially
their plasma compared to EPIC-Norfolk study and 14% abundant in red wine,”
patients with normal-tension less likely to do so in the UK she explained.
glaucoma and age-matched Biobank study.
controls. Due to the profusion The research was
of these omega-3 fatty However, even though carried out by a team of
acid chemical messengers, they noticed a link between scientists from the NIHR
the patient develops an low to moderate alcohol Biomedical Research
antioxidant defense, which consumption and a reduced Centre at Moorfields Eye
in turn aids in resisting risk of cataract surgery, Hospital NHS Foundation
the elevated intraocular they could not prove it Trust and UCL Institute of
pressure and glaucomatous conclusively. Study author, Ophthalmology. The
neurodegeneration by Dr Anthony P Khawaja, thus findings were published in
removing increases in systemic stated that further research the journal Ophthalmology.
oxidative stress.
| MAR-APR 2021 | 30 OPHTHALMIC NEWS
Mar-Apr 2021 SK News.indd 8 27-04-2021 15:45
