LITTLE ROCK A researcher at the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences has received a $1.1 million grant to study an
eye disease that’s responsible for one-fifth of all blindness
cases. UAMS said Nalini Bora will study idiopathic anterior
uveitis, which is an inflammation of the middle layer of the
eye. The grant from the National Institutes of Health runs for
three years. When left untreated, the disease can lead to vision
loss and the development of glaucoma and cataracts. Bora says
there’s no specific treatment used for patients suffering from
the disease. Instead, most receive steroids or other drugs to
alleviate symptoms rather than treating the actual cause of the
disease. Bora said her group of researchers has already
identified the protein associated with the cause of the disease.