Excited to see our paper published in the Neurobiology of Disease. We show for the first time that some patients with high eye pressure who haven’t developed glaucoma have very healthy mitochondria in their blood. Mitochondria are the batteries of cells – they produce the energy the cells need to survive. This study suggests that systemic mitochondrial efficiency is associated with resistance to developing glaucoma and raises the possibility that new treatments that make energy production more efficient may protect against glaucoma.

Representative electron microscopy images of lymphocytes from the study participants (glaucoma left, ocular hypertension right). The mitochondria are highlighted with black arrows and are more elongated and healthier in individuals with ocular hypertension as compared to patients with glaucoma.

New landmark trial in glaucoma co-authored by Mr Lascaratos is published in The Lancet. The United Kingdom Glaucoma Treatment Study (UKGTS) is the first randomised, triple-masked, placebo-controlled trial to assess the benefit of topical medical treatment (eye drops) for reduction of loss of vision in patients with open angle glaucoma. Our findings provide strong evidence for the vision-preserving benefit of lowering of intraocular pressure, supporting evidence from previous randomised trials that were not masked or placebo controlled. The study also provides evidence of the vision preserving benefits of topical prostaglandin analogues. Congratulations to Prof David Garway-Heath for leading this landmark study in glaucoma the results of which are likely to influence clinical decision making in this field for many years to come.

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‘I Know Glaucoma’: We have now published online a new course created by the members of the European Glaucoma Panel with the contribution of Mr Lascaratos. This is designed for patients with a diagnosis of glaucoma or for their friends and family. It aims to provide an understanding of everything you need to know to live with a diagnosis of glaucoma through a combination of videos and tests designed by health care professionals working in the field of Ophthalmology. You can do the course in your own time and can dip in and out of the course to cover those bits which are of particular interest to you.