Research to improve cataract surgery
In an attempt to make cataract surgery safer, USU Professor Steven Aust has been researching ways to keep potentially harmful free radicals from generating.
Free radicals are atoms or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron. In the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron that stabilizes itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule.
“Electrons usually exist in pairs, which makes them stable, but free radicals contain an unpaired electron so they are always searching for another electron, making them very reactive,” Aust said.
He said in the case of high energy ultrasound, it is thought that water is split into a hydrogen atom and the hydroxyl radical.
“The hydrogen atom is reductive, so, not very dangerous, but the hydroxyl radical is a potent oxidant,” Aust said. “It is thought to be involved in many diseases and the reason why we need antioxidants in our diet, like vitamin E.”
He said it is popular to add antioxidants to all kinds of food but “unfortunately we don’t know how our bodies get oxidized, so we don’t know what antioxidants might be affective. Vitamins E and C are very important, along with vitamin A, which is a different type of antioxidant.” Vitamin A protects us from oxidation catalyzed by light, which is most likely the cause of cataracts.
The research Aust has been working on is with Alcon, a leading company in eye care, to determine if their equipment generated free radicals and whether there was a way to lessen the amount of free radicals generated.
Aust said it started 10 years ago when an Alcon scientist approached him about reviewing a published article which suggested high energy ultrasound would generate free radicals. He said Alcon was interested because they had developed an instrument to remove cataracts by high energy ultrasound.
“The company came to me asking if I could verify the hypothesis that high energy ultrasound did acutally generate free radicals,” Aust said. “We showed that the hydroxyl radial was indeed generated by the instrument used to remove cataracts. We published those results in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in 2001.”
Then a few years ago, Aust said Alcon contacted him again to see if there was a way in determining the amount of hydroxyl radicals being generated. If that amount could be determined, then the ways to minimize that generation could be investigated.
Aust said Alcon approached him after investigating several laboratories and had decided Aust would most likely be successful and result in publishable data.
“I don’t want to brag, that is not the point here,” Aust said, “but I have a rather distinguished record of publishing, many in the area of free radical chemistry and toxicology.”
Aust said the fact that Alcon came to him to help with their research is “very indicative of the importance of excellence in research and publishing.” He said it can result in support for jobs, as well as great opportunities for students like medical or graduate school.
“It is very important for companies like Alcon to fund research that will result in peer-reviewed publications. This gives data credibility,” Aust said.
Alcon provided the instruments and other necessary supplies for the research. Aust said they also provided grants to the university for him to hire students to do the research, and hired Aust as a consultant because he had retired from being a professor.
Kenny Turley, a research assistant, said he was interested in working with Aust because it would be an advantage to him in becoming a physician’s assistant.
“As I was searching out research opportunities I wanted to find one that was geared toward the medical side,” Turley said. “Dr. Aust explained that his research dealt with the formation of hydroxyl radicals during cataract surgery. They wanted to limit the radical formation to make the operation better and safer. My interest was sparked because his research was based on medicine and the chemistry behind it, both of which I could potentially use in the future.”
Turley said he hopes to improve how medical care is administrated, and cataract surgery is something that can be improved. He said by figuring out the methods on how to limit hydroxyl radical formations during cataract surgery, “we can help ophthalmologists improve how they administer care.”
Turley also said he enjoys seeing the results research brings.
“As I run experiments and try new things, it is always fun when the results are what you are expecting,” Turley said.
– megan.b@aggiemail.usu.edu