Researchers in the US have developed a new drug that can be delivered directly into the eye via an eye dropper to shrink down and dissolve cataracts. Cataracts is the most common cause of blindness in humans. Affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become progressively cloudy, and when left untreated, can lead to total blindness. Scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes cataracts, but most cases are related to age, with the US National Eye Institute reporting that by the age of 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract, or have had cataract surgery. Today around 32.4 million people around the world are blind, and 90 percent of them live in developing countries. More than half of these cases were caused by cataracts. Currently the only treatment for cataract eyes is the surgical removal of cataractous lenses. The surgical procedure to remove a cataract is very simple and safe, but many communities in developing countries do not have access to the money or facilities to perform it, which means blindness is inevitable for the vast majority of patients So, having an eye drop as an alternative to surgery would make an incredible difference. The new drug is based on a naturally-occurring steroid called lanosterol. The researchers tested their lanosterol-based eye drops with rabbits and dogs, with positive results. The next step for them is, to find about how Lanosterol is curing the Cataract, and then start using them in humans. The researchers beleive that it can happen within next year itself, because they are not expecting any issue as lanosterol is produced by our body itself. Read more details about Lanosterol Eye Drops at www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14650.html

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