ABSTRACT
MicroRNA (miRNA) is a kind of small non-coding RNA, which can specifically bind to the 3' untranslated region of the target RNA, inducing the degradation or inhibiting the translation of the target mRNA, and ultimately affecting the important biological processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.Cataract, a leading blinding eye disease in the world, is a kind of disease that causes blindness because of lens opacification, including age-related cataracts, diabetic cataracts, congenital cataracts and posterior capsule opacification.In recent years, it has been found that many kinds of miRNA are expressed in lens and participate in the development of cataract, having significant influences on the proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis of lens epithelial cells, and take part in the occurrence and development of cataracts.The advances of different miRNAs in cataract were reviewed in this article so as to provide new ideas and methods for the prevention and treatment of cataract.