Re: The icing on the cake

Once the alpha-crystallin has lost its chaperone activity due to clumping or to binding with other molecules, it leaves the other proteins in the lens vulnerable to molecular crosslinking whereby they form very high molecular weight aggregates. These aggregates of the other lens proteins (beta- and gamma- crystallins) block and scatter the incoming light, which we refer to as a 'cataract'. The crosslinking is triggered mainly by free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), themselves generated by UV-A light. I think there is not much we can do to stop the clumping of alpha-crystallin. The binding of alpha-crystallin to AGEs might partially be offset by decreasing the amount of foods that we eat which contain AGE precursors such as methylglyoxal, e.g., toast. However, our cells produce far more methylglyoxal than the amounts present in food. Therefore there is not much we can do about this process either. This, then, is the root cause of cataract.
What we can do however is to wear glasses that block all UV-A light from entering the eye, and also we can consume foods that 'mop up' free radicals and ROS.
Otherwise, the aggregation only goes on escalating to higher and higher molecular weights until the lens is so dense that hardly any light passes through it at all. Only alpha-crystallin can begin to reverse the aggregation of the other proteins and restore optical clarity to the lens, and this can't happen unless the alpha- is free and active.  The key therefore is to restore the lost chaperone activity of alpha-crystallin, which would start the ball rolling backwards. That was proven to be possible at the University of Arkansas in 2008.
Do eye doctors know about any of this? I never met one that did, nor even wished to discuss it. Recently, one of them told me: "If you aren't interested in having the surgery, don't come back". And I never did.
Do ophthalmology associations know about any of this? When I tried to discuss it with my local association, they told me not to continue this activity. Otherwise, they said, "We'll lose income from cataract surgery, go bankrupt - and surely I wouldn't want that on my conscience, would I?".