Alzheimer's Protein Implicated in Glaucoma

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The findings are published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The basic idea behind the newly reported work is sound, said Dr. Stuart J. McKinnon, associate professor in ophthalmology and neurobiology at Duke University, in Durham, N.C. He has also performed studies that have implicated amyloid-beta in glaucoma.

Still, McKinnon sounded a note of caution. "We have to be a little careful in interpreting their conclusion," the Duke expert said. "Unfortunately, there is no good low-pressure animal model of glaucoma, so they used a rat model of increased intraocular pressure."

But, he added, "the conclusion that amyloid-beta is a major player in glaucoma is a sound one."

The amyloid-beta work "offers a potential mechanism that is not related to intraocular pressure, but what actually triggers retinal cell death is still not well understood," McKinnon said. "Are there genetic differences? Are different people more sensitive to intraocular pressure?"

In any event, the way is now open to new treatments aimed squarely at amyloid-beta, McKinnon said.

Someday, experts said, that might even include a vaccine that would be injected into the eye to prevent formation of the dangerous protein plaques.

More information

Glaucoma and its medical management are described by the U.S. National Eye Institute.