午夜剧场

It is said that 80% to 90% of the information we receive in our daily lives comes from our eyes. Because we take in so much information through our eyes, we often take it for granted and forget its importance, only truly feeling its value when our visual function declines.

In present-day Japan, glaucoma is the leading cause of acquired blindness, and it is estimated to affect approximately 5% of people aged 40 and over, or one in 20 people (Tajimi Study). Glaucoma is a disease in which the optic nerve on the retina is damaged, leading to a gradual loss of the field of vision. While it has long been attributed to an imbalance between the production and drainage of aqueous humor causing increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and optic nerve damage, it has been reported that normal-tension glaucoma—where IOP remains within the normal range—accounts for 72% of all glaucoma cases. Consequently, there is a demand for the development of glaucoma treatments with new mechanisms of action in addition to existing IOP-lowering drugs.

On the other hand, globally, cataracts account for more than 50% of the causes of acquired blindness. In Japan, thanks to the efforts of ophthalmologists and ophthalmic equipment manufacturers, cataract surgery has become dramatically widespread—to the point where day surgery is now possible—and blindness caused by cataracts stands at approximately 3%. However, cataracts are a condition that occurs frequently in the elderly, and it is said that almost the entire population will develop them by their 80s. Furthermore, the lack of established effective drug treatments for cataracts will likely become a major issue for Japan as it moves toward becoming a super-aging society.

Looking back at the history of medicine, the field of ophthalmology has consistently provided cutting-edge treatments, such as transplant medicine through corneal transplants, cataract treatment using intraocular lenses (artificial organs), treatment for age-related macular degeneration using iPS cells, and corneal regenerative medicine. Furthermore, as average life expectancy has extended due to advances in medical technology and the effectiveness of treatments for intractable diseases has improved, extending healthy life expectancy and maintaining Quality of Life (QOL) will become important challenges in the future. Improving the quality of visual function, or Quality of Vision (QOV), is indispensable for this.

Being a researcher is a job that puts a heavy strain on the eyes, involving tasks such as writing papers and creating slides. It is important to occasionally think about your eyes and give them a rest. This is truly a "Researcher’s Eye."