Polygenic Risk Scores Driving Clinical Change in Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a clinically heterogeneous disease and the world's leading cause of irreversible blindness. Therapeutic intervention can prevent blindness but relies on early diagnosis, and current clinical risk factors are limited in their ability to predict who will develop sight-threatening glaucoma. The high heritability of glaucoma makes it an ideal substrate for genetic risk prediction, with the bulk of risk being polygenic in nature. Here, we summarize the foundations of glaucoma genetic risk, the development of polygenic risk prediction instruments, and emerging opportunities for genetic risk stratification. Although challenges remain, genetic risk stratification will significantly improve glaucoma screening and management.

High Polygenic Risk Is Associated with Earlier Initiation and Escalation of Treatment in Early Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the association between a glaucoma polygenic risk score (PRS) and treatment outcomes in primary open-angle glaucoma. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants from the Progression Risk of Glaucoma: Relevant SNPs with Significant Association Study were divided into a cohort with suspect glaucoma who were treatment naive at enrollment and one with early manifest and suspect glaucoma receiving treatment at enrollment. METHODS: A per-allele weighted glaucoma PRS was calculated for 1107 participants. Multivariable mixed-effects Cox proportional regression analysis assessed the association between PRS and time to commencement of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering therapy in 416 patients with suspect glaucoma who were treatment naive at study enrollment. Secondary analysis evaluated the association between PRS and escalation of IOP-lowering therapy among 691 patients with suspect and early manifest glaucoma who were receiving IOP-lowering therapy at enrollment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Commencement or escalation of IOP-lowering therapy. RESULTS: A higher PRS was associated with a greater risk of commencing IOP-lowering therapy within 5 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.45 per 1 standard deviation [/SD]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.62; P < 0.001). Participants in the upper population-based quintile showed a 3.3 times greater risk of commencing therapy by 5 years than those in the lowest quintile (HR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.63-6,70; P < 0.001) and a 5.4 times greater risk of commencing IOP-lowering therapy by 2 years than the those in the lowest quintile (HR, 5.45; 95% CI, 2.08-14.25; P < 0.001). A higher PRS was associated with a greater risk of treatment escalation among patients receiving treatment at enrollment (HR, 1.19/SD; 95% CI, 1.09-1.31; P < 0.001). In combined analysis of all participants, participants in the top population-based quintile were at 2.3 times greater risk of requiring initiation or escalation of IOP-lowering therapy than those in the lowest quintile (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.75-3.01; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated novel associations between glaucoma polygenic risk and risk of commencement or escalation of IOP-lowering therapy, building on previous work highlighting the potential clinical usefulness of genetic risk stratification in glaucoma. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Pallid Disc Oedema in a Young Patient: Clinical and Diagnostic Challenge.

A mid-thirties male with end-stage renal failure receiving haemodialysis on a background of four failed renal transplants, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder,and autonomic dysfunction presented with acute vision change in his left eye. Over days his vision in that eye deteriorated from 20/25 to no light perception. Given his complex medical background he was extensively investigated for infective, inflammatory, infiltrative and vasculitic aetiologies to explain acute vision loss with pallid disc swelling. A final diagnosis of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy secondary to refractive hypotension and haemodialysis was reached.

A novel GSN variant outside the G2 calcium-binding domain associated with Amyloidosis of the Finnish type.

Gelsolin (GSN) variants have been implicated in amyloidosis of the Finnish type. This case series reports a novel GSN:c.1477T>C,p.(Trp493Arg) variant in a family with ocular and systemic features consistent with Finnish Amyloidosis. Exome sequencing performed on affected individuals from two families manifesting cutis laxa and polymorphic corneal stromal opacities demonstrated the classic GSN:c.654G>A,p.Asp214Asn variant in single affected individual from one family, and a previously undocumented GSN:c.1477T>C variant in three affected first-degree relatives from a separate family. Immunohistochemical studies on corneal tissue from a proband with the c.1477T>C variant identified gelsolin protein within histologically defined corneal amyloid deposits. This study reports a novel association between the predicted pathogenic GSN:c.1477T>C variant and amyloidosis of the Finnish type, and is the first to provide functional evidence of a pathological GSN variant at a locus distant to the critical G2 calcium-binding region, resulting in the phenotype of amyloidosis of the Finnish type.

Genome-wide association analysis of 95 549 individuals identifies novel loci and genes influencing optic disc morphology.

Optic nerve head morphology is affected by several retinal diseases. We measured the vertical optic disc diameter (DD) of the UK Biobank (UKBB) cohort (N = 67 040) and performed the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of DD to date. We identified 81 loci (66 novel) for vertical DD. We then replicated the novel loci in International Glaucoma Genetic Consortium (IGGC, N = 22 504) and European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk (N = 6005); in general the concordance in effect sizes was very high (correlation in effect size estimates 0.90): 44 of the 66 novel loci were significant at P < 0.05, with 19 remaining significant after Bonferroni correction. We identified another 26 novel loci in the meta-analysis of UKBB and IGGC data. Gene-based analyses identified an additional 57 genes. Human ocular tissue gene expression analysis showed that most of the identified genes are enriched in optic nerve head tissue. Some of the identified loci exhibited pleiotropic effects with vertical cup-to-disc ratio, intraocular pressure, glaucoma and myopia. These results can enhance our understanding of the genetics of optic disc morphology and shed light on the genetic findings for other ophthalmic disorders such as glaucoma and other optic nerve diseases.

Corneal Stiffness Parameters Are Predictive of Structural and Functional Progression in Glaucoma Suspect Eyes.

PURPOSE: To investigate corneal stiffness parameters (SPs) as predictors of future progression risk in glaucoma suspect eyes. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal study. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy-one eyes from 228 primary open-angle glaucoma suspects, based on optic disc appearance, with normal baseline Humphrey Visual Field (HVF; Carl Zeiss Meditec) results. METHODS: Baseline corneal SPs were measured using Corvis ST (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH). Participants were followed up every 6 months with clinical examination, HVF testing, and OCT. The baseline SP at first applanation (SP-A1) and highest concavity predicted the prospective outcome measures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Structural progression was measured by the OCT rate of thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL). Functional progression was assessed by permutation analysis of pointwise linear regression criteria on HVF testing. RESULTS: Stiffness parameters correlated positively with central corneal thickness (CCT), which was adjusted for in all analyses. A higher SP-A1, suggestive of a stiffer cornea, was associated with a faster rate of RNFL thinning (P < 0.001), synergistic with thinner CCT (P = 0.004) over a mean follow-up of 4.2 years. Eyes with higher SP-A1 and thinner CCT (thin and stiff corneas) showed accelerated RNFL thinning by 0.72 µm/year relative to eyes with lower SP-A1 and thicker CCT (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-1.28; P = 0.011) and were at 2.9-fold higher likelihood of fast RNFL progression of more than 1 µm/year (95% CI, 1.4-6.1; P = 0.006). Consistent results also were observed with GCIPL thinning. Furthermore, a higher SP-A1 was associated with a greater risk of visual field progression (P = 0.002), synergistic with thinner CCT (P = 0.010). Eyes with higher SP-A1 and thinner CCT were at 3.7-fold greater risk of visual field progression relative to eyes with thicker CCT and lower SP-A1 (95% CI, 1.3-10.5; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Glaucoma suspect eyes with higher corneal SPs and lower CCT, suggestive of thin and stiff corneas, are at greater risk of progression. Corneal SPs seem to act synergistically with CCT as risk factors for glaucoma progression.

An Intraocular Pressure Polygenic Risk Score Stratifies Multiple Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Parameters Including Treatment Intensity.

PURPOSE: To examine the combined effects of common genetic variants associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) phenotype using a polygenic risk score (PRS) stratification. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: For the primary analysis, we examined the glaucoma phenotype of 2154 POAG patients enrolled in the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma, including patients recruited from the United Kingdom. For replication, we examined an independent cohort of 624 early POAG patients. METHODS: Using IOP genome-wide association study summary statistics, we developed a PRS derived solely from IOP-associated variants and stratified POAG patients into 3 risk tiers. The lowest and highest quintiles of the score were set as the low- and high-risk groups, respectively, and the other quintiles were set as the intermediate risk group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical glaucoma phenotype including maximum recorded IOP, age at diagnosis, number of family members affected by glaucoma, cup-to-disc ratio, visual field mean deviation, and treatment intensity. RESULTS: A dose-response relationship was found between the IOP PRS and the maximum recorded IOP, with the high genetic risk group having a higher maximum IOP by 1.7 mmHg (standard deviation [SD], 0.62 mmHg) than the low genetic risk group (P = 0.006). Compared with the low genetic risk group, the high genetic risk group had a younger age of diagnosis by 3.7 years (SD, 1.0 years; P < 0.001), more family members affected by 0.46 members (SD, 0.11 members; P < 0.001), and higher rates of incisional surgery (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.0; P = 0.007). No statistically significant difference was found in mean deviation. We further replicated the maximum IOP, number of family members affected by glaucoma, and treatment intensity (number of medications) results in the early POAG cohort (P ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The IOP PRS was correlated positively with maximum IOP, disease severity, need for surgery, and number of affected family members. Genes acting via IOP-mediated pathways, when considered in aggregate, have clinically important and reproducible implications for glaucoma patients and their close family members.

Analysis of Early Cone Dysfunction in an In Vivo Model of Rod-Cone Dystrophy.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a generic term for a group of genetic diseases characterized by loss of rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Although the genetic causes of RP frequently only affect the rod photoreceptor cells, cone photoreceptors become stressed in the absence of rods and undergo a secondary degeneration. Changes in the gene expression profile of cone photoreceptor cells are likely to occur prior to observable physiological changes. To this end, we sought to achieve greater understanding of the changes in cone photoreceptor cells early in the degeneration process of the Rho-/- mouse model. To account for gene expression changes attributed to loss of cone photoreceptor cells, we normalized PCR in the remaining number of cones to a cone cell reporter (OPN1-GFP). Gene expression profiles of key components involved in the cone phototransduction cascade were correlated with tests of retinal cone function prior to cell loss. A significant downregulation of the photoreceptor transcription factor Crx was observed, which preceded a significant downregulation in cone opsin transcripts that coincided with declining cone function. Our data add to the growing understanding of molecular changes that occur prior to cone dysfunction in a model of rod-cone dystrophy. It is of interest that gene supplementation of CRX by adeno-associated viral vector delivery prior to cone cell loss did not prevent cone photoreceptor degeneration in this mouse model.

Visual outcomes following vitrectomy for diabetic retinopathy amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

IMPORTANCE: Visual outcomes following diabetic vitrectomy have not previously been studied in an Australian population. BACKGROUND: This analysis aimed to determine the rate of, and factors associated with visual success following diabetic vitrectomy performed for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and investigate factors predisposing to early progression to diabetic retinopathy (DR) requiring vitrectomy. DESIGN: Retrospective, population-based audit. PARTICIPANTS: All patients undergoing vitrectomy for the complications of DR in South Australia (SA) and the Northern Territory (NT) between 2007 and 2011. METHODS: Medical records were audited and data collected, including demographics, diabetic history, past treatment for DR, indication for vitrectomy and visual acuity pre and postoperatively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual success (gain of ≥15 ETDRS letters) at 6 and 12 months, postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 495 diabetic vitrectomies, for 404 eyes of 335 patients were performed in SA and NT between 2007 and 2011. 77 (23%) patients requiring diabetic vitrectomy were Indigenous Australians. 87% of patients undergoing diabetic vitrectomy had stable or improved vision at 1 year, postoperatively. There was no significant difference between indigenous and non-indigenous eyes achieving visual success (P = 0.929). Timely preoperative laser treatment (P = 0.03) and preoperative visual acuity (P = 0.01) were the predominant factors associated with visual success. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Indigenous patients are just as likely to have improved vision following diabetic vitrectomy as non-Indigenous Australians. However, the small subset of indigenous patients with blind eyes prior to vitrectomy are significantly less likely to improve from surgery. The underlying factors associated with poor outcomes in this group requires further exploration.

Gene Therapy for Color Blindness.

Achromatopsia is a rare congenital cause of vision loss due to isolated cone photoreceptor dysfunction. The most common underlying genetic mutations are autosomal recessive changes in CNGA3, CNGB3, GNAT2, PDE6H, PDE6C, or ATF6. Animal models of Cnga3, Cngb3, and Gnat2 have been rescued using AAV gene therapy; showing partial restoration of cone electrophysiology and integration of this new photopic vision in reflexive and behavioral visual tests. Three gene therapy phase I/II trials are currently being conducted in human patients in the USA, the UK, and Germany. This review details the AAV gene therapy treatments of achromatopsia to date. We also present novel data showing rescue of a Cnga3-/- mouse model using an rAAV.CBA.CNGA3 vector. We conclude by synthesizing the implications of this animal work for ongoing human trials, particularly, the challenge of restoring integrated cone retinofugal pathways in an adult visual system. The evidence to date suggests that gene therapy for achromatopsia will need to be applied early in childhood to be effective.

Phenotypic consequences of a nanophthalmos-associated TMEM98 variant in human and mouse.

Nanophthalmos is characterised by shorter posterior and anterior segments of the eye, with a predisposition towards high hyperopia and primary angle-closure glaucoma. Variants in TMEM98 have been associated with autosomal dominant nanophthalmos in multiple kindreds, but definitive evidence for causation has been limited. Here we used CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to recreate the human nanophthalmos-associated TMEM98 p.(Ala193Pro) variant in mice. The p.(Ala193Pro) variant was associated with ocular phenotypes in both mice and humans, with dominant inheritance in humans and recessive inheritance in mice. Unlike their human counterparts, p.(Ala193Pro) homozygous mutant mice had normal axial length, normal intraocular pressure, and structurally normal scleral collagen. However, in both homozygous mice and heterozygous humans, the p.(Ala193Pro) variant was associated with discrete white spots throughout the retinal fundus, with corresponding retinal folds on histology. This direct comparison of a TMEM98 variant in mouse and human suggests that certain nanophthalmos-associated phenotypes are not only a consequence of a smaller eye, but that TMEM98 may itself play a primary role in retinal and scleral structure and integrity.

Physical Activity Is Associated With Macular Thickness: A Multi-Cohort Observational Study.

Purpose: To assess the association between physical activity and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-measured rates of macular thinning in an adult population with primary open-angle glaucoma. Methods: The correlation between accelerometer-measured physical activity and rates of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thinning was measured in 735 eyes from 388 participants of the Progression Risk of Glaucoma: RElevant SNPs with Significant Association (PROGRESSA) study. The association between accelerometer-measured physical activity and cross-sectional SD-OCT macular thickness was then assessed in 8862 eyes from 6152 participants available for analysis in the UK Biobank who had SD-OCT, ophthalmic, comorbidity, and demographic data. Results: Greater physical activity was associated with slower rates of macular GCIPL thinning in the PROGRESSA study (beta = 0.07 µm/y/SD; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.13; P = 0.003) after adjustment for ophthalmic, demographic and systemic predictors of macular thinning. This association persisted in subanalyses of participants characterized as glaucoma suspects (beta = 0.09 µm/y/SD; 95% CI, 0.03-0.15; P = 0.005). Participants in the upper tertile (greater than 10,524 steps/d) exhibited a 0.22-µm/y slower rate of macular GCIPL thinning than participants in the lower tertile (fewer than 6925 steps/d): -0.40 ± 0.46 µm/y versus -0.62 ± 0.55 µm/y (P = 0.003). Both time spent doing moderate/vigorous activity and mean daily active calories were positively correlated with rate of macular GCIPL thinning (moderate/vigorous activity: beta = 0.06 µm/y/SD; 95% CI, 0.01-0.105; P = 0.018; active calories: beta = 0.06 µm/y/SD; 95% CI, 0.006-0.114; P = 0.032). Analysis among 8862 eyes from the UK Biobank revealed a positive association between physical activity and cross-sectional total macular thickness (beta = 0.8 µm/SD; 95% CI, 0.47-1.14; P < 0.001). Conclusions: These results highlight the potential neuroprotective benefits of exercise on the human retina.

No Strong Association between the Apolipoprotein E E4 Allele and Glaucoma: A Multicohort Study.

Purpose: To elucidate a potential association between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) E4 allele and glaucoma prevalence in large cohorts. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline and prospectively collected cohort data. Participants: UK Biobank (UKBB) participants of genetically determined European ancestry (n = 438 711). Replication analyses were performed using clinical and genotyping data collected from European participants recruited to the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (CLSA; n = 18 199), the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma (ANZRAG; n = 1970), and the Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES; n = 2440). Methods: Apolipoprotein E alleles and genotypes were determined, and their distributions were compared on the basis of glaucoma status. Similar analyses were performed using positive control outcomes associated with the APOE E4 allele (death, dementia, age-related macular degeneration) and negative control outcomes not associated with the APOE E4 allele (cataract, diabetic eye disease). Outcome phenotypes were also correlated with Alzheimer's dementia (AD), a clinical outcome highly associated with the APOE E4 allele. Main Outcome Measures: Results of APOE E4 genotype-phenotype comparisons were reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Replication analyses investigated APOE E4 associations in 2 replication cohorts (CLSA and ANZRAG/BMES). Results: The APOE E4 allele was inversely associated with glaucoma (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99; P = 0.016) and both negative controls (cataract: OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99; P = 0.015; diabetic eye disease: OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87-0.97; P = 0.003) in the UKBB cohort. A paradoxical positive association was observed between AD and both glaucoma (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.08-1.54; P < 0.01) and cataract (OR, 1.15; 1.04-1.28; P = 0.018). No association between the APOE E4 allele and glaucoma was observed in either replication cohort (CLSA: OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.89-1.19; P = 0.66; ANZRAG/BMES: OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.84-1.12; P = 0.65). Conclusions: A small negative association observed between APOE E4 and glaucoma within the UKBB was not evident in either replication cohort and may represent an artifact of glaucoma underdiagnosis in APOE E4 carriers. Financial Disclosures: The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Normal-tension glaucoma is associated with cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recent research suggests an association between normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and dementia. This study investigated whether cognitive impairment is more strongly associated with NTG than high tension glaucoma (HTG) using cognitive screening within an Australiasian Glaucoma Disease Registry. METHODS: The authors completed a case-control cross-sectional cognitive screening involving 290 age-matched and sex-matched NTG participants and HTG controls aged ≥65 randomly sampled from the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma. Cognitive screening was performed using the Telephone Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA). The T-MoCA omits points requiring visual interpretation, accounting for confounding factors related to vision loss in visually impaired participants. Cognitive impairment was defined by a T-MoCA score of <11/22. Cognition was compared between NTG and HTG participants using predetermined thresholds and absolute screening scores. RESULTS: A total of 290 participants completed cognitive assessment. There were no differences in NTG (n=144) and HTG (n=146) cohort demographics or ocular parameters at baseline. Cognitive impairment was more prevalent in the NTG cohort than the HTG cohort (OR=2.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 6.7, p=0.030). Though a linear trend was also observed between lower absolute T-MoCA scores in the NTG cohort when compared with the HTG cohort, this association was not statistically significant (p=0.108). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an association between NTG status and poor cognition, supporting the hypothesis that there exists a disease association and shared pathoaetiological features between NTG and dementia.

Genetic Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Is Associated with Macular Ganglion Cell-Inner Plexiform Layer Thinning in an Early Glaucoma Cohort.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between genetic risk for cardiovascular disease and retinal thinning in early glaucoma. Design: Prospective, observational genetic association study. Participants: Multicohort study combining a cohort of patients with suspect and early manifest primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a cohort of patients with perimetric POAG, and an external normative control cohort. Methods: A cardiovascular disease genetic risk score was calculated for 828 participants from the Progression Risk of Glaucoma: Relevant SNPs [single nucleotide polymorphisms] with Significant Association (PROGRESSA) study. Participants were characterized as showing either predominantly macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), predominantly peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) or equivalent macular GCIPL and pRNFL spectral-domain OCT thinning. The cardiovascular disease genetic risk scores for these groups were compared to an internal reference group of stable suspected glaucoma and of an external normative population. Replication was undertaken by comparing the phenotypes of participants from the Australia New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma (ANZRAG) with the normative control group. Main Outcome Measures: Spectral-domain OCT and Humphrey Visual Field (HVF) change. Results: After accounting for age, sex, and intraocular pressure (IOP), participants with predominantly macular GCIPL thinning showed a higher cardiovascular disease genetic risk score than reference participants (odds ratio [OR], 1.76/standard deviation [SD]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-2.62; P = 0.005) and than normative participants (OR, 1.32/SD; 95% CI, 1.12-1.54; P = 0.002). This finding was replicated by comparing ANZRAG participants with predominantly macular GCIPL change with the normative population (OR, 1.39/SD; 95% CI, 1.05-1.83; P = 0.022). Review of HVF data identified that participants with paracentral visual field defects also demonstrated a higher cardiovascular disease genetic risk score than reference participants (OR, 1.85/SD; 95% CI, 1.16-2.97; P = 0.010). Participants with predominantly macular GCIPL thinning exhibited a higher vertical cup-to-disc ratio genetic risk score (OR, 1.48/SD; 95% CI, 1.24-1.76; P < 0.001), but an IOP genetic risk score (OR, 1.12/SD; 95% CI, 0.95-1.33; P = 0.179) comparable with that of the normative population. Conclusions: This study highlighted the relationship between cardiovascular disease and retinal thinning in suspect and manifest glaucoma cases.

Diagnostic yield of candidate genes in an Australian corneal dystrophy cohort.

Corneal dystrophies describe a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited disorders. The International Classification of Corneal Dystrophies (IC3D) lists 22 types of corneal dystrophy, 17 of which have been demonstrated to result from pathogenic variants in 19 identified genes. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic yield of genetic testing in a well-characterised cohort of 58 individuals from 44 families with different types of corneal dystrophy. Individuals diagnosed solely with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy were excluded. Clinical details were obtained from the treating ophthalmologist. Participants and their family members were tested using a gene candidate and exome sequencing approach. We identified a likely molecular diagnosis in 70.5% families (31/44). The detection rate was significantly higher among probands with a family history of corneal dystrophy (15/16, 93.8%) than those without (16/28, 57.1%, p = .015), and among those who had undergone corneal graft surgery (9/9, 100.0%) compared to those who had not (22/35, 62.9%, p = .041). We identified eight novel variants in five genes and identified five families with syndromes associated with corneal dystrophies. Our findings highlight the genetic heterogeneity of corneal dystrophies and the clinical utility of genetic testing in reaching an accurate clinical diagnosis.

RNA Sequencing of Lens Capsular Epithelium Implicates Novel Pathways in Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome.

Purpose: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) is a common systemic disease that results in severe and often irreversible vision loss. Despite considerable research effort, PEX remains incompletely understood. This study sought to perform the first RNAseq study in elucidate the pathophysiology of PEX, and contribute a publicly available transcriptomic data resource for future research. Methods: Human ocular lens capsular epithelium samples were collected from 25 patients with PEX and 39 non-PEX controls undergoing cataract surgery. RNA extracted from these specimens was subjected to polyadenylated (mRNA) selection and deep bulk RNA sequencing. Differential expression analysis investigated protein-coding gene transcripts. Exploratory analyses used pathway analysis tools, and curated class- and disease-specific gene sets. Results: Differential expression analysis demonstrated that 2882 genes were differentially expressed according to PEX status. Genes associated with viral gene expression pathways were among the most upregulated, alongside genes encoding ribosomal and mitochondrial respiratory transport chain proteins. Cell adhesion protein transcripts including type 4 collagen subunits were downregulated. Conclusions: This comparative transcriptomic dataset highlights novel and previously recognized pathogenic pathways in PEX and provides the first comprehensive transcriptomic resource, adding an additional layer to build further understanding of PEX pathophysiology.

The APOE E4 Allele Is Associated with Faster Rates of Neuroretinal Thinning in a Prospective Cohort Study of Suspect and Early Glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the association between the apolipoprotein E (APOE) E4 dementia-risk allele and prospective longitudinal retinal thinning in a cohort study of suspect and early manifest glaucoma. Design: Retrospective analysis of prospective cohort data. Participants: This study included all available eyes from participants recruited to the Progression Risk of Glaucoma: Relevant SNPs [single nucleotide polymorphisms] with Significant Association (PROGRESSA) study with genotyping data from which APOE genotypes could be determined. Methods: Apolipoprotein E alleles and genotypes were determined in PROGRESSA, and their distributions were compared with an age-matched and ancestrally matched normative cohort, the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Structural parameters of neuroretinal atrophy measured using spectral-domain OCT were compared within the PROGRESSA cohort on the basis of APOE E4 allele status. Main Outcome Measures: Longitudinal rates of thinning in the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) complex and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL). Results: Rates of mGCIPL complex thinning were faster in participants harboring ≥1 copies of the APOE E4 allele (ß = -0.13 µm/year; P ≤0.001). This finding was strongest in eyes affected by normal-tension glaucoma (NTG; ß = -0.20 µm/year; P = 0.003). Apolipoprotein E E4 allele carriers were also more likely to be lost to follow-up (P = 0.01) and to demonstrate a thinner average mGCIPL complex (70.9 µm vs. 71.9 µm; P = 0.011) and pRNFL (77.6 µm vs. 79.2 µm; P = 0.045) after a minimum of 3 years of monitoring. Conclusions: The APOE E4 allele was associated with faster rates of mCGIPL complex thinning, particularly in eyes with NTG. These results suggest that the APOE E4 allele may be a risk factor for retinal ganglion cell degeneration in glaucoma.

Risk Stratification and Clinical Utility of Polygenic Risk Scores in Ophthalmology.

Translational Relevance: Common genetic variants can be used to effectively stratify the risk of disease development and progression and may be used to guide screening, triaging, monitoring, or treatment thresholds.