The mechanistic study of glaucoma pathogenesis has shifted to seeking to understand the effects of immune responses on retinal ganglion cell damage and protection. Cytokines mediate the biological effects of the immune system, and our previous study revealed an imbalance of T-helper (Th) 1-derived and Th2-derived cytokines in the serum of patients with glaucoma. In this study, we collected iris...

PURPOSE Mutations in the myocilin (MYOC) gene have been implicated in juvenile as well as late-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Overall, MYOC mutations account for 3% to 5% of cases of POAG worldwide, making it the most significant gene identified so far in glaucoma. Although there are some similarities in the phenotype of POAG and in particular chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (...

PURPOSE The frequencies of apolipoprotein E (APOE) alleles and genotypes were examined in 230 Saudi subjects including primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG; n=60) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG; n=40) patients as well as 130 control subjects. METHODS The presence of glaucoma in patients was based on clinical examination and/or ophthalmic records. The APOE allele frequency (epsilon2, ep...

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy and often associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). It is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and is characterized by the optic nerve degeneration and loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). This may lead to loss of vision. The primary cause of glaucoma is unknown but several risk factors including elevated IOP and age have been...

The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between Humphrey visual field progression and peripheral vascular endothelial function in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), assessed by noninvasive endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD).Forty OAG patients, among which 22 had normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and 18 had primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were enrolled. Each...

AIM To investigate plasma indices of vascular permeability (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF-also an index of angiogenesis, as well as the soluble receptor for VEGF, sFlt-1) and endothelial damage/dysfunction (von Willebrand factor, vWf) in glaucoma. METHODS Citrated plasma was assayed for VEGF, sFlt-1, and vWf (all ELISA) in a cross sectional study of 50 patients (20 male; mean age 6...

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure (PACG) are prevailing eye diseases that can lead to blindness. In order provide a non-invasive diagnostic method for glaucoma, we investigated the feasibility of using drop-coating deposition Raman spectroscopy (DCDRS) discriminate patients from healthy individuals based on tear samples. Tears 27, 19 27 POAG patients, PACG normal indi...

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and other genomic technologies have accelerated the discovery of genes and genomic regions contributing to common human ocular disorders with complex inheritance. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma and myopia account for the majority of visual impairment worldwide. Over 19 genes and/or genomic regions have been asso...

BACKGROUND Raised intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only causal risk factor for glaucoma that can be therapeutically manipulated to change the course of the disease process. Though Goldman applanation tonometry (GAT) is the "gold standard" for IOP measurement, readings of IOP with GAT are affected by central corneal thickness (CCT). The aim of this study is to determine the impact of CCT on IOP...

PURPOSE To investigate the safety and efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXFG) compared with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). DESIGN Non-randomized, prospective, clinical trial. METHODS Nineteen eyes of 13 patients with POAG and 18 eyes of 13 patients with PXFG were treated with SLT. Patients...