title: Gene patents related to common diseases of the eye.
abstract: Visual impairment and blindness impose substantial morbidity and premature mortality on the population. The direct costs for vision disorders have been shown to be more than the cost of coronary heart disease, stroke, arthritis or depression and were estimated to be $9.85 billion in 2004 in Australia. Hence it is important to identify the causes of common eye diseases and understand their aetiology which in turn would allow determination of better management strategies and treatment options. Age related Macular Degeneration, Cataract, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma and uncorrected refractive errors represent the majority of the visual impairment and blindness in Australia and various parts of the world. This article reviews the gene patents available for these eye conditions and highlights the important discoveries that have so far contributed to our understanding of these diseases and provides valuable information as to where research will be heading in the future.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Eye Research Australia, Level 1, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, 32 Gisborne Street, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia. srujanas@student.unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Srujana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sahebjada
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cantsileris
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010330:Patents as Topic