Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucoma and is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reported associations with IOP at TMCO1 and GAS7, and with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) at CDKN2B-AS1, CAV1/CAV2, and SIX1/SIX6. To identify novel genetic variants and replicate the published findings, we performed GWAS and meta-analysis of IOP in >6,000 subjects of European ancestry collected in three datasets: the NEI Glaucoma Human genetics collaBORation, GLAUcoma Genes and ENvironment study, and a subset of the Age-related Macular Degeneration-Michigan, Mayo, AREDS and Pennsylvania study. While no signal achieved genome-wide significance in individual datasets, a meta-analysis identified significant associations with IOP at TMCO1 (rs7518099-G, p = 8.0 × 10−8). Focused analyses of five loci previously reported for IOP and/or POAG, i.e., TMCO1, CDKN2B-AS1, GAS7, CAV1/CAV2, and SIX1/SIX6, revealed associations with IOP that were largely consistent across our three datasets, and replicated the previously reported associations in both effect size and direction. These results confirm the involvement of common variants in multiple genomic regions in regulating IOP and/or glaucoma risk.

To conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and mortality. Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases yielded 9 cohort studies with relative risk (RR) estimates for all-cause mortality. The studies were critically reviewed by an expert in the field. The data were extracted and analyzed in a pooled analysis by the random-effects model. Meta-regression to assess for heterogeneity by several covariates and subgroup analysis on cardiovascular mortality were performed. Results: A significant risk was not detected in the final pooled analysis (RR, 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97-1.31) for all-cause mortality. A meta-regression across mean follow-up time, age, and sex was not significant. A meta-regression across diabetes status in 3 of the 9 studies did not demonstrate significant results (P=.94). Subgroup analysis on cardiovascular mortality from 4 of the 9 studies was marginally significant (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.00-1.43; P = .05), but insignificant after removal of a study in which POAG was ascertained by self and proxy report (RR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.87-1.46). Conclusion: This meta-analysis does not demonstrate an association between POAG and all-cause or cardiovascular mortality.

Imatinib mesylate may be associated with ischemic maculopathy that can severely compromise vision. It may be necessary for patients receiving this therapy to be monitored for associated visual symptoms and funduscopic abnormalities.

Background: Alpha Methyldopa (AMD) is a well-known treatment for the pregnancy induced