Recent advances in genetic factor of congenital cataract

Congenital cataract is one of the leading causes of children vision impairment and blindness.Among the many causative factors, inheritance plays a critical role in the development of congenital cataract.With the development of molecular biology techniques, more than 30 genes have been found to be associated with congenital cataract, and the number is still increasing.More pathogenic genes discovery and functional researches have the important values to understand the lens biological characteristics and the cataract pathophysiology mechanism.Discovering new ways to prevent cataracts may make it possible for human to achieve individualized genetic intervention.This article reviewed the recent advances in the study of lens embryology and genes related to congenital cataract.