The quest for homeopathic and nonsurgical cataract treatment

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Age-related cataract occurs when crystallin proteins in the lens partially unfold and subsequently aggregate. Physicians and traditional healers alike have been exploring pharmacologic cataract treatment for hundreds of years. Currently, surgery is the only effective treatment. However, there are an abundance of homeopathic and alternative remedies that have been suggested as treatment for cataract. This article reviews the current understanding of cataract development and discusses several homeopathic remedies purported to treat age-related cataract. Additionally, we will present an overview of evidence regarding the development of pharmacologic cataract reversal therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: Some homeopathic therapies have been shown to prevent cataract development in experimental models. More studies are required to elucidate the potential medicinal and toxic properties of the various alternative therapies. However, in recent years, scientists have begun to investigate substances that address cataract by reversing lens protein aggregation. One such compound, lanosterol, was reported to reverse cataract opacity in vitro and in animal models. Subsequently, 25-hydroxycholesterol and rosmarinic acid were identified as having similar properties. SUMMARY: Although challenges and uncertainties remain, further research has the potential to lead to the development of a nonsurgical therapeutic option for age-related cataract.