Genes & cells: Cholesterol tied to vision loss: Lipid could be targeted in macular degeneration.

The article discusses a study by Rajendra Apte of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri and colleagues in the April 2, 2013 issue of the journal "Cell Metabolism" that suggests the accumulation of cholesterol in the eye helps promote macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of vision loss in people 50 and older. The role of the microRNA miR-33 in the ability of a protein pump, called ABCA1, to rid the eye of cholesterol is discussed.