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New test 'can speed up child cataract diagnosis'
September 16, 2013
Children at risk of developing cataracts may have their condition diagnosed sooner under a new test developed at Manchester University.
A new test has been developed by researchers who believe it can quicken the diagnosis of childhood cataracts.
Experts at Manchester University's Centre for Genomic Medicine believe they can identify the presence of all genes that can potentially cause congenital cataracts from just one blood test.
Test developer Rachel Gillespie remarked: "Using next-generation sequencing, we are now able to identify the cause of cataracts in children in a way that is much faster and more cost-effective than the current method".
She explained that the test looks at all the possible genes that can cause the eye defect simultaneously, rather than one at a time under present methods - a process that can take years to complete with over 100 cataract-causing genes identified.
This could enable children to receive the healthcare they need from an early stage, potentially making the problem easier to treat.
It is not just children who can benefit from cataract treatments, according to research by an Australian team published in the US earlier this month.
This found that older people who have such surgery have a 40 per cent lower mortality rate than cataract patients who do not, although the reasons are not yet known.
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