Challenges and Opportunities in Genetic Research from the Perspective of a Tertiary Eye Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Abstract

Clinical programs in developing countries like Bangladesh are focused more on common conditions and less toward advanced research. But the potential for molecular research is considerable, with heritable factors linked in both common and uncommon diseases such as primary open-angle glaucoma, primary angle-closure glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, vasculitis retinae and age-related macular degeneration, congenital glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa, among others. Less common ocular diseases also lend themselves to diagnosis where all investigations are not always available. This paper considers the epidemiology of some common and uncommon ocular conditions in glaucoma and retina at a tertiary referral center in Bangladesh, to present the magnitude of ocular disease as well as outline the huge potential of genetic research. As the technology for genetic analysis already being available, emphasis should be placed on its use in ophthalmology, so that new therapeutic modalities can be developed for certain diseases and to provide treatment for people who at present have no recourse for either diagnosis or treatment.