Genetics of age-related cataract

Age-related cataract is a leading cause of vision loss and the most common reason for eye surgery in the elderly. Epidemiological studies of affected siblings and twins indicate that genetic factors may account for as much as 50% of the risk for age-related cataract. Family-based linkage studies have identified a number of genetic susceptibility loci for age-related cataract, and case-control association studies have implicated a number of diverse candidate genes involved in: antioxidant metabolism, galactose metabolism, the heat-shock stress response, and the ephrin signaling pathway. Rigorous characterization of the underlying genetic causes may lead to nonsurgical treatments for age-related cataract.