Investigating the Why's of Glaucoma

"Dr. Simon John, from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues specifically wanted to understand the earliest events that lead to optic nerve damage in glaucoma," according to Medical New Today. "Using a mouse model of the disease, the researchers showed that inflammatory immune cells called monocytes cross blood vessels and invade the optic nerve. Remarkably, mice treated with a single X-ray treatment in eyes prior to the onset of glaucoma were protected from developing the disease later in life. Through an unknown mechanism, the X-ray treatment prevented neuroinflammation and allowed mice to avoid glaucoma development, even in the presence of other risk factors." Read more.