Glaucoma affects more than 60 million people throughout the world, and what with increasing longevity and ageing populations this number is set to increase.
However a new study documented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified a build up of protein called gamma synuclein in a new biological pathway at a specific site in the optic nerve of mice.
Research shows patients with Parkinson’s disease appear to have a similar protein present, which is thought to be a result of neuronal breakdown.
These findings are a major step forward in the quest to discover a treatment that will cure glaucoma and remove the threat of blindness that hangs over so many millions of people.