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Research at the University of Ulster using nanotechnology could lead to an alternative treatment to the surgical removal of cataracts.

Barbara Pierscionek, Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at Ulster, explained that recent advances in nanotechnology could help uncover the changes in the proteins within the lens that lead to cataract formation.

She said the emphasis used to be on surgical removal but now the aim was to see if cataract formation could be reversed.

'This is groundbreaking work because for the first time it offers the prospect of penetrating the intact lens and tagging the proteins in their natural arrangements to identify early structural changes that precede cataract formation,' she said.

The work is being done in collaboration with a team form the University of Texas.

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