Pigment epithelial‐derived factor in the lens anterior capsule of patients with senile cataract with pseudoexfoliation

BACKGROUND: This study sought to evaluate pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) levels in lens anterior capsule material taken during cataract surgery from patients with senile cataract with pseudoexfoliation. METHODS: The study included 90 eyes of 86 patients who were diagnosed with, and underwent surgery for, cataracts. Sixty of the eyes included in the study had senile cataract. Thirty eyes of 30 young patients with other forms of cataract were included as a control group. Pseudoexfoliation was present in 21 patients with senile cataract. PEDF levels in the lens anterior capsule material - extracted with capsulorhexis in the classical phacoemulsification procedure - were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and compared between the groups. RESULTS: The PEDF level in the lens anterior capsule in the senile cataract patient group was 149.36 ± 17.46 pg/ml. A statistically significant lower level of PEDF was found in the lens anterior capsule of patients with senile cataract compared with the other groups. In the patient group with pseudoexfoliation, the PEDF level in the lens anterior capsule was found to be statistically significantly lower than the patient group without pseudoexfoliation. CONCLUSION: PEDF levels decrease with senile cataract and pseudoexfoliation. These findings may clarify the pathogenesis of these conditions and point toward alternative treatment modalities.