Abstract
Trace elements play an important role in the pathogenesis of several serious ophthalmological disorders, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, cataract, etc. This study aimed to measure alterations of chemical elements’ (67) levels in the aqueous humor of patients undergoing cataract surgery. The pilot study included 115 patients, (age 74 ± 7.27, female 64.35%, male 35.65%). The aqueous levels of elements were measured by the use of the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), quality controlled with certified standards. The classification of elements based on their concentration was achieved by hierarchical cluster analysis. This is the first screening study that quantifies over 60 elements which are present in the fluid from the anterior chamber of the eye of cataract patients. The obtained results can be suitable for understanding and identifying the causes that may play a role in the initiation and progression of lens opacity.
Highlights
A lens opacity that gets worse with age can lead to blindness [1]
Samples of fluid from the anterior chamber of the eye were obtained from patients undergoing cataract surgery: 115 patients between 55 and 94 years of age
The levels of metals were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-optical emission spectrometry (OES)) after an appropriate sample preparation
Summary
A lens opacity that gets worse with age can lead to blindness [1]. Several indisputable causes of cataract formation have already been identified. It is known, for example, that the risk of lens opacity doubles every ten years [2]. Other risk factors are sex [3], diabetes [3], infrared (IR) and ultraviolet B (UV-B: 280–315 nm) radiation [4,5], and smoking [6,7]. Because cataract formation is strongly associated with age and cigarette smoking, which in turn lead to the accumulation of metal ions, many studies were devoted to analyzing the content of selected metals in human lenses or aqueous humor collected from patients undergoing cataract surgery
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