9^th Global Ophthalmology Summit

Eye Surroundings Disorder

Refractive errors are very common nowadays but some people having certain disorders are more prone to these refractive conditions as compared to normal people. Thus, it is very important to know the influence of other diseases on cataract and refractive conditions. Cataracts may be hereditary or secondary to a noxious intrauterine event (e.g., rubella). Cataracts associated with a systemic or genetic illness may not occur until the second or third decade (e.g., cataracts associated with retinitis pigmentosa). Even age-related cataracts, generally thought to be due to multiple insults accumulated over many years, have a genetic component, making certain individuals more vulnerable to the environmental insults. It seems likely that when mutations in crystalline or other lens proteins are sufficient in and of themselves to cause protein aggregation they usually result in congenital cataract, while if they merely increase susceptibility to environmental insults, such as light, hyperglycaemic, or oxidative damage, they might contribute to age-related cataract. Thus, hereditary congenital cataracts tend to be inherited in a Mendelian fashion with high penetrance, while age-related cataracts tend to be multifactorial, with both multiple genes and environmental factors influencing the phenotype. This makes them significantly less amenable to genetic and biochemical study. Highlights of this session include Myotonic Dystrophy, Galactosemia, Homocystinuria Wilson's disease and Down syndrome, Autoimmune disorders  and Immunodeficiency conditions, Persistent dry eyes and Unstable vision, Keratoconus and Keratitis, Uveitis and Herpes simplex.