cataract

Overview

Cataract is a common eye disease characterized by clouding of the lens, leading to progressive impairment of vision. It is one of the world’s leading causes of blindness and is strongly associated with aging, although it can also occur in relation to diabetes, oxidative stress, trauma, medications, and other systemic or ocular conditions. Pathologically, cataract reflects loss of lens transparency, often driven by protein aggregation, lens fiber cell dysfunction, and cumulative oxidative damage.

In recent biomedical research, cataract has been investigated not only as a clinical condition but also as a target for mechanistic and translational studies. A recurring theme is oxidative stress, including reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated injury to the lens, with related pathways involving antioxidant defenses such as catalase and superoxide dismutase. Other studies have examined cataract in relation to diabetic retinopathy, EGFR/SRC-mediated EMT, nutritional patterns, and systemic biomarkers, reflecting the multifactorial biology of the disease.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications have approached cataract from several complementary angles, including disease risk, screening, biomarker association, and experimental therapy.

One study investigated a regenerative cerium oxide nanozyme as a potential treatment for cataract, explicitly framing cataract pathogenesis as closely linked to ROS-mediated oxidative damage to the lens. This work positions oxidative stress regulation as a therapeutic strategy, consistent with the broader understanding that lens transparency depends on maintaining redox balance. The study context suggests that the nanozyme was designed to counter oxidative injury, although the publication excerpt provided here does not include detailed efficacy outcomes.

Another multi-cohort study examined plant-based diet quality and the risk of age-related eye diseases using multiomics profiling. In that analysis, higher plant-based diet quality scores were associated with lower risks of cataract, while less healthy plant-based dietary patterns were associated with increased cataract risk. This supports the idea that diet-related metabolic and inflammatory pathways may influence cataract development, and it places cataract alongside other age-related ocular disorders such as AMD, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

A separate clinical study evaluated the use of the Smart Eye Camera, a smartphone-attachable slit-lamp device, for diagnosing and grading cataract in diabetic and non-diabetic patients in an outpatient setting in Jordan. The stated aim was to assess the association of diabetes mellitus among multiple risk factors with the presence of cataract using this portable imaging technology. This reflects the growing role of accessible ophthalmic screening tools in cataract detection, especially in settings where conventional slit-lamp examination may be less available.

Another cross-sectional and genetic association study examined serum Klotho levels in relation to major age-related ocular disorders, including cataract. The study sought to determine whether serum Klotho levels were associated with cataract prevalence and to explore potential causal relationships, although the provided context does not specify a causal finding for cataract. This work places cataract within a broader biomarker framework, alongside glaucoma and retinal disease, and highlights interest in systemic factors that may correlate with ocular aging.

Taken together, these studies show cataract being researched as:

a disease driven in part by oxidative stress and ROS-mediated lens damage,
a condition potentially influenced by diet and systemic metabolic status,
a target for portable AI-enabled or smartphone-based screening approaches,
and a phenotype linked to circulating biomarkers such as Klotho.

Key Publications

Jun A regenerative cerium oxide nanozyme for cataract treatment via oxidative stress regulation. (Biomaterials science, 2026, PMID 42108912): "As the world's leading blinding eye disease, cataract pathogenesis is closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative damage to the lens."
Jun Plant-based diet quality and risk of age-related eye diseases: evidence from multi-cohorts with multi-omics insights. (NPJ science of food, 2026, PMID 42243112): "Higher PDI-H was associated with lower risks of AMD, cataract, glaucoma, and DR, whereas higher PDI-U was associated with increased risks of AMD, cataract, and DR."
Jun The use of the smart eye camera for diagnosing and grading cataract in diabetic and non-diabetic patients in an outpatient setting in Jordan. (International ophthalmology, 2026, PMID 42223495): "To study the association of DM among multiple risk factors with the presence of cataract in an outpatient setting in Jordan using only the Smart Eye Camera (SEC), a smartphone-attachable slit-lamp device."
May Serum Klotho Levels and Major Age-Related Ocular Disorders: A Cross-Sectional and Genetic Association Study. (Translational vision science & technology, 2026, PMID 42065487): "To examine the association between serum Klotho levels and the prevalence of glaucoma, cataract, and retinal disease, and to explore the potential causal relationship between Klotho and glaucoma."