Autoantibodies in glaucoma

Researchers at the Unive rsity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have identified an autoimmune-mediated mechanism that might be responsible for the development of certain cases of normal-pressure glaucoma.¹ The finding reveals Fas ligand and autoantibodies that target two heat shock proteins as potential drug targets for a subset of the disease that is not well treated by existing drugs.

Glaucoma is characterized by ocular damage due to the loss or degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. Although high levels of intraocular pressure cause most cases of the disease, as many as 25-30% of Caucasian patients and 66% of Japanese patients present with normal pressure, according to Martin Wax, a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern. The Glaucoma Research Foundation estimates there are 4 million glaucoma patients in the U.S...