Clayton Janine A, Davis Alison F
Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, MD , USA.
Curr Eye Res. 2015 Feb;40(2):102-9. doi: 10.3109/02713683.2014.986333. Epub 2014 Dec 30.
Our eyes are, both literally and figuratively, windows to the world, and ophthalmic approaches offer a tremendous space for conducting research to learn more. Male/female differences in ocular health and disease are prevalent but we know far too little about root causes to design and implement diagnostic, preventive, and treatment strategies to address sex- and gender-based disparities in eye health. Herein, we discuss several ophthalmic diseases and other conditions with ocular manifestations, with a focus upon those that disproportionately affect women. Because the vast majority of biomedical research in this area comes from studies of mixed-gender populations, or of male-predominant populations, there is a pressing need for sex- and/or gender-based research at various points along the basic to clinical biomedical research continuum. Moreover, the multitude of factors that affect eye health call for a balanced look at the influence of biology, culture, and societal contributors. As clinicians, we owe our patients the best care for their needs, and that care must be derived from research that shows what is effective, for whom, and under what conditions.
无论从字面意义还是象征意义上讲，我们的眼睛都是通向世界的窗户，眼科研究领域为深入探索提供了广阔空间。眼部健康和疾病存在男女差异，这一现象很普遍，但我们对其根本原因了解甚少，因此难以设计并实施诊断、预防和治疗策略，以解决眼部健康方面基于性别和性别的差异问题。在此，我们将探讨几种眼科疾病以及其他有眼部表现的病症，重点关注那些对女性影响尤为严重的疾病。由于该领域的绝大多数生物医学研究来自对混合性别群体或男性占主导群体的研究，因此在从基础生物医学研究到临床生物医学研究的整个连续过程中，迫切需要开展基于性别和/或性别的研究。此外，影响眼部健康的因素众多，这就需要综合考量生物学、文化和社会因素的影响。作为临床医生，我们有责任为患者提供满足其需求的最佳治疗，而这种治疗必须基于能表明何种方法有效、对谁有效以及在何种条件下有效的研究。
