glaucoma

A novel astrocyte cell in the retina: study

A full understanding of retinal cell types and their functions could point to novel therapeutic targets for diseases that affect the visual system, such as glaucoma — a leading cause of blindness for people over age 60.

A ‘Site’ for Sore Eyes

Four years ago, Roger Lasater went outside to look at the stars and the moon and couldn’t see them. He was was in the beginning stages of age-related macular degeneration, one of the many eye diseases studied by physician-scientists at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute.

Large, diverse genetic study of glaucoma implicates vascular and cancer-related genes

An international genetic study using multiancestry biobanks has identified novel genetic locations associated with primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common type of glaucoma and the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally.

Inflammation implicated in exfoliation syndrome

Computational genetics tools have implicated inflammatory pathways in exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of secondary glaucoma, which can result in blindness.

Opening a window to glaucoma

A metalloprotease enzyme plays an important role in retinal ganglion cell development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered; studying it and other family members may lead to the identification of novel targets for treating glaucoma.

Study points to potential new approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have shown for the first time that when one optic nerve in the eye is damaged, as in glaucoma, the opposite optic nerve comes to the rescue by sharing its metabolic energy.

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