Higher Blood Mercury Level may Increase Glaucoma Risk: University of California

Lower blood manganese levels and higher blood mercury levels are associated with greater glaucoma prevalence, affecting many organ systems, including eye.

A new study says that lower blood manganese level and higher blood mercury level may increase risk of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

Abnormal body levels of essential elements and exposure to toxic trace metals have been postulated to contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases affecting many organ systems, including the eye, according to background information in the article.

Prescription Glaucoma Drugs Could be Used to Treat Tuberculosis: Michigan State University
Ethoxzolamide, a sulfa-based compound found in glaucoma drugs, turns off the bacterium's ability to invade the immune system and help treat TB.

Shan Lin of University of California, San Francisco in the US, and colleagues investigated the relationship between body levels of five trace metals (manganese, mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic) and the prevalence of glaucoma.

Researchers analysed data from 2,680 individuals (19 years and older) participating in the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between January 2008 and December 2009.

Analyses indicated that lower blood manganese levels and higher blood mercury levels were associated with greater glaucoma prevalence.

Common Glaucoma Medication may Help Treat Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Ethoxzolamide has the potential of preventing the disease from spreading, and it could help shorten the length of treatment and slow the emergence of drug resistance.

No association was found between blood lead or cadmium levels or urine arsenic levels and a diagnosis of glaucoma in the study population.

The study published online in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

Scientists At Sankara Nethralaya Discover Defective Gene That Causes Glaucoma, Blindness
About 80% of the estimated 15 million people afflicted with glaucoma live in Asia, and 11.2 million cases are reported from India.

Source-IANS

Simple Hypodermic Needle Developed by California-Based AqueSys Inc may Cure Glaucoma
In glaucoma, eye pressure plays a role in damaging the optic nerve, thus a new technology relieves the pressure in the eye with a minimally invasive method.