Next-Generation Techniques for Analysis of Lamina Cribrosa Microstructure

Glaucoma describes a group of potentially blinding ocular disorders, afflicting c. 60 million people worldwide. Of these, c. 8 million are bilaterally blind, estimated to increase to 11 million by 2020. The central event in glaucoma is slow and irreversible damage of retinal ganglion cells, responsible for carrying visual information from the retina to the brain (Figure 1). Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a risk factor for glaucoma^1–4, and significant, sustained IOP reduction is unequivocally beneficial in the clinical management of glaucoma patients^{2, 3, 5}. Unfortunately, we do not understand how elevated IOP leads to the loss of retinal ganglion cells.