Five new genetic markers for glaucoma

An international group of researchers has discovered five previously unknown genetic areas linked to an increased risk of primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) — the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Their study has been published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Glaucoma generally develops later in life and initially causes loss of peripheral vision. Angle closure glaucoma, a less common form of the disease than open angle glaucoma, is caused by blocked drainage canals in the eye and characterised by a narrow angle between the iris and cornea.

The co-author of the new study, Professor Jamie Craig from Flinders University, said PACG symptoms occur rapidly and require immediate medical attention. If something is not done quickly, he said, patients can lose their vision permanently.

Professor Craig and his team guided international research across 24 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas to make the new discovery. Using the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma (ANZRAG), they studied a combined total of 10,404 cases of angle closure glaucoma and 29,343 normal controls to identify the five novel glaucoma markers, making their work the largest genome-wide association study to date on this condition.

“This new discovery provides a handle to gain an understanding of the mechanisms of the disease,” Professor Craig said. “This will help to work out who is at risk of developing angle closure glaucoma so they can have preventative laser treatment before an emergency situation develops.

“We also expect, in time, that the improved understanding of the pathways of this disease [will] lead to new ways to more effectively prevent and treat this serious condition, so that permanent loss of vision does not occur.”

This is a modified version of a story published by The Lead South Australia under Creative Commons.

Originally published here.