Chemotherapy drugs, used in cancer treatments, may change the timing of a vision condition known as presbyopia. Presbyopia is the inability to focus the eye on close objects, by a process called accommodation. It is caused by an increase in the stiffness of the lens of the eye that occurs naturally with aging. Currently, there are no known treatments that can be used to prevent or delay presbyopia. As a result, the risk, in later life, of having this condition is essentially 100%.~The purpose of this research is to determine whether chemotherapy drugs are delaying the age at which people develop symptoms of presbyopia. We hope to establish that presbyopia can in fact be delayed with the use of drugs, which would ultimately lead to further research in this area.
Chemotherapy drugs, used in cancer treatments, may change the timing of a vision condition known as presbyopia. Presbyopia is the inability to focus the eye on close objects, by a process called accommodation. It is caused by an increase in the stiffness of the lens of the eye that occurs naturally with aging. Currently, there are no known treatments that can be used to prevent or delay presbyopia. As a result, the risk, in later life, of having this condition is essentially 100%.~The purpose of this research is to determine whether chemotherapy drugs are delaying the age at which people develop symptoms of presbyopia. We hope to establish that presbyopia can in fact be delayed with the use of drugs, which would ultimately lead to further research in this area.