Cataracts Across the Tree of Life: A Roadmap for Prevention and Biomedical Innovation.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Spontaneous cataracts have been identified in the lenses of animals across a phylogenetically wide range of species. This can be a source of insights and innovation for human health professionals, but many persons may lack awareness of it. By providing a phylogenetic survey and analysis of species with cataract vulnerability, this paper demonstrates how a broad comparative perspective can provide critical information about environmental hazards to human visual health and can spark potential innovations in the prevention and treatment of cataracts in humans. DESIGN: Perspectives. METHODS: Review and synthesis of selected literature with interpretation and perspective. RESULTS: We found 273 recorded cases of spontaneously occurring cataracts in 113 species of birds, 83 species of mammals, 30 species of actinopterygii fish, 10 species of amphibians, 6 species of reptiles, and 1 species of cephalopod. CONCLUSION: A phylogenetically wide range of species, including many living in and around human environments, are vulnerable to cataracts. These animals may serve as sentinels for human visual health. Variation in cataract vulnerability across species may also facilitate the identification of resistance-conferring physiologies, leading to accelerated innovation in the prevention and treatment of cataracts in humans.