Cellular Basis of Steroid Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a blinding disease affecting millions of Americans. This disease causes blindness because the eye pressure becomes elevated and this pressure can destroy the optic nerve without which one cannot see. Treatment of the eye with steroid eye drops can result in an increase in pressure inside the eye, and in some individuals steroids can actually cause glaucoma, and loss of vision. The purpose of the research outlined in this grant proposal is to discover the reasons that steroid treatment can cause increased pressure, and to use this knowledge to develop potential means to prevent and treat this type of glaucoma. It is even likely that such new treatment approaches may help us develop new medications for other types of glaucoma. There are two layers of cells through which the clear fluid in the eye, or aqueous humor, must pass as it drains from the eye to return to the circulation. Normally, the aqueous can flow through small spaces which lie between the cells in these layers. Through study of human cells kept alive and growing in a healthy state, we are seeking to understand how the passage of fluid through them can be regulated. Early results from these experiments indicate that with steroid treatment, the channels between cells are narrowed, and the flow is clearly reduced.