Aging and Age Related Ocular Diseases (Ophthalmologica, 1)

The phenomenon of aging is characterized by various degenerative changes, which differentially affect the highly specialized structures within the eye, such as the purely cellular lens, the brain-derived retina and the connective tissue of the uvea and sclera. Therefore, the eye can serve as an excellent model system to study age-related degenerative diseases. An overview article deals with the molecular biology of alpha-B-crystallin, and original articles give further insight into the distribution and possible functional significance of nonlenticular alpha-B-crystallin. Retinal transplantation studies that may ultimately lead to therapy for tapetoretinal degeneration and age-related macular degeneration are discussed. Further, factors that influence the development of the retinal tissues are investigated. And another overview examines cells of the deep lens fibers. This special issue is an in-depth source of information to ophthalmologists in research and practice.