The Search for Glaucoma Genes — Implications for Pathogenesis and Disease Detection

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world after cataract, affecting approximately 70 million people, about half of whom are estimated to have open-angle glaucoma.1 Nearly as many people have angle-closure glaucoma, a disorder that is particularly prevalent among Asians. In open-angle glaucoma, there is no apparent obstruction to the movement of aqueous humor, whereas in angle-closure glaucoma contact between the iris and lens forms a physical barrier to the passage of aqueous humor from the posterior to the anterior chambers of the eye. Among persons of European and African ancestry in the United States, open-angle glaucoma . . .