A Comprehensive Review on Cataract: Pathophysiology, Current Therapies, And Herbal Interventions

The most common cause of reversible blindness in the world is still cataracts, which are brought on by oxidative damage and protein aggregation in the lens crystallin. Phacoemulsification surgery is still the gold standard of therapy, but its high expense, surgical risks, and restricted accessibility highlight the urgent need for efficient pharmaceutical substitutes. Aldose reductase inhibitors, antioxidants, and new drugs that target protein aggregation are the mainstays of recent developments in cataract pharmacotherapy. By increasing glutathione activity and lowering lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress-modulating substances such vitamins C and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, polyphenols, melatonin, and caffeine have demonstrated encouraging preventive effects. By dissolving misfolded crystallins, small substances like lanosterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol have the potential to reverse lens opacity. These medications are being found more quickly thanks to high-throughput screening technologies, which are developing new non-surgical cataract therapy options. To successfully convert these findings into therapeutic applications, however, additional clinical confirmation is required. This review incorporates current understanding of cataract pathophysiology, risk factors, and pharmaceutical therapies for preventing or reversing lens opacity.