Of these ten patients, two had atrophic macular degeneration (one other patient with dry age-related macular degeneration did not have raised aqueous IL-6), two had non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, one had had removal of a pterygium three years prior to cataract surgery and one had had a trabeculectomy six years prior to cataract surgery. The gene discussed is IL6; the disease is dry age related macular degeneration.