Genetic susceptibility to the development of primary open angle glaucoma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31288/oftalmolzh201867175Keywords:
open angle glaucoma, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, corneal thickness, pseudoexfoliation syndromeAbstract
Background: Primary open angle glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy and associated with a number of factors such as age, ethnicity, family history, central corneal thickness, and intraocular pressure (IOP). In addition, it might be associated with myopia and certain systemic disorders. Family history is the highest risk factor as shown by the presence of glaucoma in first-degree relatives.
Purpose: To assess the potential for the development of glaucoma due to genetically predisposed features of ocular anatomy and age-related changes in these features based on a case glaucoma in monozygotic siblings.
Materials and Methods: We analyzed the clinical case of two monozygotic sisters with the disease based on complaints, history, physical and instrumental examination, treatment and outcomes.
Results: The two monozygotic sisters (1) were diagnosed with the same disorder approximately at the same age, (2) presented with similar ocular biometric characteristics and age-related changes of the anterior eye, and (3) underwent the same surgery on both eyes, which resulted in improved visual functions, stable IOP reduction, stable perimetric visual fields, and stable OCT derived RNFL thickness.
Conclusion: The results obtained in monozygotic siblings confirm that genetic susceptibility to changes in anterior eye parameters and age-related changes in anterior ocular structures along with environmental factors constitute the main cause of hydrodynamic impairment resulting in the development of glaucoma.
References
1.Quigley HA, Broman AT. The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006 Mar;90(3):262-7.https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.2005.081224
2.Amero K, Kondkar AA, Chalam KV. An Updated Review on the Genetics of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. Int J Mol Sci. 2015 Dec 4;16(12):28886-911. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161226135
3.Tham YC, Li X, Wong TY, et al. Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2014 Nov;121(11):2081-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2014.05.013
4.Kwon YH, Fingert JH, Kuehn MH, Alward WL. Primary open-angle glaucoma. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:1113-24. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra0804630
5.Tomlinson A, Leighton DA. Ocular dimensions in the heredity of angle-closure glaucoma. Br J Ophthalmol. 1973 Jul;57(7):475-86. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjo.57.7.475
6.Gramer G, Weber BH, Gramer E. Results of a Patient-Directed Survey on Frequency of Family History of Glaucoma in 2170 Patients. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 Jan 13;55(1):259-64.https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.13-13020
7.Siak J, Quek D, Nongpiur M, et al. Anterior Chamber Angle and Intraocular Pressure Changes After Phacoemulsification: A Comparison Between Eyes With Closed-angle and Open-angle Glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 2016 Mar;25(3):e259-64.https://doi.org/10.1097/IJG.0000000000000271
8.Masis Solano M, Lin SC. Cataract, phacoemulsification and intraocular pressure: Is the anterior segment anatomy the missing piece of the puzzle? Proq Retin Eye Res. 2018 May;64:77-83.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preteyeres.2018.01.003
9.Moghimi S, Abdi F, Latifi G, et al. Lens parameters as predictors of intraocular pressure changes after phacoemulsification. Eye (Lond). 2015 Nov;29(11):1469-76.https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2015.141
10.Yang HS, Lee J, Choi S. Ocular biometric parameters associated with intraocular pressure reduction after cataract surgery in normal eyes. Am J Ophthalmol. 2013 Jul;156(1):89-94.e1.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2013.02.003
11.Salmon JF, Swanevelder SA, Donald MA. The Dimensions of Eyes with Chronic Angle-closure Glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 1994 Fall;3(3):237-43.https://doi.org/10.1097/00061198-199400330-00009
12.Yoon JJ, Misra SL, McGhee CNj, Patel DV. Demographics and ocular biometric characteristics of patients undergoing cataract surgery in Auckland, New Zealand. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2016 Mar;44(2):106-13.https://doi.org/10.1111/ceo.12634
13.Hyman L, Wu SY, Connell AM, et al. Prevalence and causes of visual impairment in the Barbados Eye Study. Ophthalmology. 2001 Oct;108(10):1751-6.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-6420(01)00590-5
14.Sommer A, Tielsch JM, Katz J, et al. Racial differences in the cause-specific prevalence of blindness in east Baltimore. N Engl J Med. 1991 Nov 14;325(20):1412-7.https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199111143252004
15.Tielsch JM, Sommer A, Katz J, et al. Racial variations in the prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma. The Baltimore Eye Survey. JAMA. 1991 Jul 17;266(3):369-74.https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1991.03470030069026
16.Kim M, Park KH, Kim TW, et al. Anterior chamber configuration changes after cataract surgery in eyes with glaucoma. Korean J Ophthalmol. 2012;26:97-103.https://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.2012.26.2.97
17.Leske MC, Wu SY, Honkanen R, et al. Nine-year incidence of open-angle glaucoma in the Barbados Eye Studies. Ophthalmology. 2007 Jun;114(6):1058-64.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2006.08.051
18.Sihota R, Ghate D, Mohan S, et al. Study of biometric parameters in family members of primary angle closure glaucoma patients. Eye (Lond). 2008;22:521-527.https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.eye.6702687
19.Sun JH, Sung KR, Yun SC, et al. Factors associated with anterior chamber narrowing with age: an optical coherence tomography study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012 May 9;53(6):2607-10.https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.11-9359
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 А. М. Сергієнко, В. О. Мельник, М. В. Хорошкова

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) that allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author as long as they cite the source.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors hold copyright immediately after publication of their works and retain publishing rights without any restrictions.
- The copyright commencement date complies the publication date of the issue, where the article is included in.
DEPOSIT POLICY
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) during the editorial process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Post-print (post-refereeing manuscript version) and publisher's PDF-version self-archiving is allowed.
- Archiving the pre-print (pre-refereeing manuscript version) not allowed.








