A team of researchers led by a professor at the University of Alberta has identified a gene that causes the onset of pigmentary glaucoma.
The discovery could lead to new treatment for the condition.
“People who traditionally we wouldn’t think of having glaucoma – young males in their 20s and 30s – are at particular risk for this form of the disease and of losing their vision,” said Michael Walter, professor and chair of medical genetics at the U of A.
Pigmentary glaucoma happens when the pigment on the back of the iris gets deposited onto the front part of the eye, causing vision loss and without treatment, it could lead to blindness.
This is the first time a cause of the disease has been identified for the condition, which affects approximately 150,000 people in North America.
The study also involved researchers from Harvard University and Flinders University in Australia.
“I think the collaborative effort we’ve had in this research has really let us explore this more fully than any one lab could have,” Walter said.
Walter is now working with researchers from the U of A and University of Calgary to find out how the mutations lead to pigmentary glaucoma.
He said the research also identified similarities to other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
“Potentially some of the methods that are currently being used to think about treating Alzheimer’s might even be applied to treat glaucoma,” said Walter.
“It opens up awareness about other approaches we could take.”
