Jim, I never heard of a connection between cataract and Dupuytren's, althought hat doesn't exclude that there is one.

Specifically when you are young I believe it is important that the new liquid inserted into the eye is not fully transparent. They used to insert clear liquid but then found out that the clear liquid did not protect the background of the eye sufficiently and light caused damage there on a long term.

I would wait as long as possible with having cataract surgery. Not because that surgery is very difficult, it is not, but personally I believe that the new fluid might wear out out cause damage on a long term and you might need another surgery. But I am no expert on this but my mother had cataract and I expect developing it, too.

Wolfgang

Jim,

please excuse my late comment: myofibroblasts are involved in wound healing and do this by contrcating tissue and producing collagen. They are not specific to Dupuytren's disease but are all over the body. Nothing wrong with myofibroblasts per se, the issue with Dupuytren's is that they are accumualting in a tumor like fashion for unknown reason.

Wolfggang

Well maybe it is simple as ones body trying to heal one area and in doing so the signals for repair are getting to our extremities ( hands and feet) and giving confused messages to the myofibroblasts in those areas which produce collagen causing DD?

This might be happening in conjunction with the healing in the other area or not. The healing may be a problematic fix (causative) or genetic trigger.

If this was the case then a local myofibroblast inhibitor could stem the tide. Maybe this is how RT works? Could one could then assume that a healthy body would not need to heal and therefore minimise those triggers?

Sorry but there is some poor info in this thread. I am a Consultant Ophthalmologist with 25 yrs experience of cataract surgery. There are no fibroblasts of any kind in the human lens and no significant evidence of an association between DD and cataract. They both affect a greater percentage of people with age so some people get both. Another confounding factor may be that smoking and excess alcohol are risk factors for both conditions. If you have cataract you should not delay surgery once it starts to cause you practical problems. The intraocular lens which is used to replace the cloudy natural lens does not deteriorate over time.

My left hand has been affected by Dupuytren's contractures for some 15 years. Now I have developed an abnormality of the vitreous humour of the left eye called asteroid hyalosis. This is an annoying condition where clumps of calcium salts gather together in clumps within the collagen material of the vitreous humour. The clumps are reasonably opaque but in bright light they form shadows on the retina and are thus rendered visible like dark floaters. Anyone been bothered with this problem and Duypuytrens?