Herbal Therapies in Cataract Treatment: A Review of Current Research in Public Health Perspective
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Abstract
Cataract is a condition of visual impairment caused by clouding of crystalline lens. Cataract exhibits a significant prevalence across diverse age demographics; however, primarily it is causing substantial welfare concerns in the aging population. Presently available interventions are largely restricted to surgical options, highlighting the need of alternative treatments. This review aims to understand the importance of utilizing traditional herbal therapies beyond conventional treatment. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using a variety of databases, including ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Publons, Europe PMC, Google Scholar and Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI) to gather relevant information regarding existing and prospective plant-based treatment alternatives for cataract. The exhaustive review has covered nature of incidence, etiology, development of cataract, commercially available allopathic eye drops and Plant-based formulations for management of cataract. The plant-based clinical studies registered in CTRI database and online published literature were examined. The observations reflected that herbal therapies are increasingly being explored and scientific validations were undertaken towards identifying herbal medicines in management of cataract. The findings emphasize that anticataract mechanisms of plant-based medications are primarily attributed to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. Currently available therapies are protecting lens transparency and are directed towards arresting the progression of cataract from immature to mature and hyper mature stages.
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| Issue | Vol 11, No 1, 2026 -In Press- | |
| Section | Review Article(s) | |
| Keywords | ||
| Antioxidant Cataract Clinical trial CTRI Herbal medicine | ||
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