Research News

Mohammed El Mallah, MD, receives ISPB and MEBTC grants for research on glaucoma and cataracts

Third-year resident Dr. Mohammed El Mallah has received two prestigious awards in support of his research on Prostaglandin Analogues, a type of medicine used to treat glaucoma.

The first award comes from the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, a charitable organization founded in 1916 with the goal of combating blinding eye conditions.

The second award has been granted by the Midwest Eye Banks, also a charitable organization, which provides corneal tissue for transplantation and supports eye and vision research.

Prostaglandins treat glaucoma by lowering the pressure in the eye. One of the ways they lower eye pressure is by increasing a group of enzymes called MMP’s, which then facilitate flow of fluid out of the eye. This same group of enzymes has been found to be increased in cataractous, or cloudy, lenses more so than in normal lenses.

The goal of Dr. El Mallah’s study is to see if there is a connection between the use of prostaglandin drops and the expression of these enzymes in the human lens. If so, this will provide indirect evidence that the use of prostaglandin analogue drops may hasten the development of cataracts. The findings have important clinical implications as many people over 60 have both glaucoma and cataracts.

“I am thrilled to have received these awards and look forward to finding an answer to this interesting clinical question,” said El Mallah.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases in which they eye’s fluid fails to drain properly and puts pressure on the optic nerve. Damage to the nerve is permanent and, if untreated, can result in blindness. Cataracts, are a clouding of the eye's lens. Because of this cloudiness, light rays do not easily pass through the lens to focus on the retina. As a result, things look foggy or cloudy.