Researchers have discovered six specific genetic variations that may be linked to glaucoma. Findings published in the journal Nature Genetics discuss how three separate studies reveal telltale variants of genes that also play a role in regulating cholesterol in cells and the age-related arterial disease, atherosclerosis.
“It’s rock solid that this is an important result because it has been found in three different ways,” said lead study author Jamie Craig, who is also from Flinders University’s Centre for Ophthalmology and Eye Vision Research, in a news release.
“All the papers were done in different populations with different strategies and all identified the same gene,” he added. “It has been shown to be involved in eye pressure in normal people and tells us for sure it is contributing to glaucoma at least partly through intraocular pressure pathways.”
As glaucoma remains a leading cause of irreversible blindness according to the World Health Organization (WHO), health officials continue to work on new research that uncovers new potential treatments for the future.
Read the full, original story: Certain gene variants reveal glaucoma risk
