Application of mendelian randomization in ocular diseases: a review

• Published in: Human genomics Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 66 - 10
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiran, Yuan, Weichen, Xu, Jun, Zhao, Fangkun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 17-06-2024; BMC
• Subjects: Allergens; Allergies; Blood pressure; Caffeine; Casual relationship; Cataracts; Causality; Dermatitis; Diabetes; Disease; Epidemiology; Etiological research; Eye diseases; Eye Diseases - epidemiology; Eye Diseases - genetics; Eye disorders; Fatty acids; Genes; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Glaucoma; Humans; Lifestyles; Lipids; Mendelian randomization; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Metabolism; Microbiota; Observational studies; Ocular disease; Quality of life; Review; Risk factor; Variables; Ocular disease; Mendelian randomization; Casual relationship; Etiological research; Risk factor
• ISSN: 1473-9542; 1479-7364; 1479-7364
• DOI: 10.1186/s40246-024-00637-1

Ocular disorders can significantly lower patients' quality of life and impose an economic burden on families and society. However, for the majority of these diseases, their prevalence and mechanisms are yet unknown, making prevention, management, and therapy challenging. Although connections between exposure factors and diseases can be drawn through observational research, it is challenging to rule out the interference of confounding variables and reverse causation. Mendelian Randomization (MR), a method of research that combines genetics and epidemiology, has its advantage to solve this problem and thus has been extensively utilized in the etiological study of ophthalmic diseases. This paper reviews the implementation of MR in the research of ocular diseases and provides approaches for the investigation of related mechanisms as well as the intervention strategies.