Dr. Almallah's Corner

Serving New Jersey, Monmouth County, & Ocean County

“Eyeing Space-Age Technology”

A promising and effective new form of technology, which was originally
developed by a NASA senior scientist, may point to the future of cataract
detection. The low-powered laser device was first intended to help astronauts
with experiments that involve growing crystals in space. However, when
the scientist’s own father developed cataracts that required surgery, his
son thought about applying the technology toward determining when eyes
become vulnerable to developing cataracts. The laser device detects alphacrystallin
proteins in the eye, which are responsible for maintaining eyelens
transparency. When levels of alpha-crystallin decrease, eye lenses
begin to cloud up. By using the NASA-inspired device to check levels of
the protein, ophthalmologists hope to someday offer patients insight into
their cataract vulnerability. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye
to the other.