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Br J Ophthalmol 2006;90:674-678 doi:10.1136/bjo.2005.086769
  • Clinical science
    • Scientific reports

Human glaucoma and neural degeneration in intracranial optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex

  1. N Gupta1,2,3,4,
  2. L-C Ang3,
  3. L Noël de Tilly5,
  4. L Bidaisee4,
  5. Y H Yücel2,3,4,*
  1. 1Glaucoma and Nerve Protection Unit, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  2. 2Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada
  3. 3Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Canada
  4. 4St Michael’s Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
  5. 5Diagnostic Imaging and Neuroradiology, St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  1. Correspondence to: Yeni H Yücel MD PhD FRCPC (Neuropathology), Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory, University of Toronto, St Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, West Annex, Room 1-026, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B 1W8; yeni.yucel{at}utoronto.ca
  • Accepted 1 February 2006
  • Published Online First 7 February 2006

Abstract

The pathology of glaucoma has been extensively studied at the level of the retina and optic nerve head. Here the first clinicopathological case of human glaucoma is reported demonstrating degenerative changes in the brain involving the intracranial optic nerve, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex. Pathological evidence of neural degeneration in this patient is correlated with clinical, optic nerve head, visual field, and neuroradiology findings. Neuropathology in the glaucoma brain is compared to age matched controls. In the presence of advanced human glaucoma with 50% visual field loss, neural damage is evident in multiple vision stations within the brain.

Footnotes

  • ↵* Present address: Department of Pathology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

  • Competing interest statement: there are no competing interests to be declared.

Responses to this article

  • Visual pathway changes in glaucoma
    • John J Sloper
    Br J Ophthalmol published online September 14, 2009
  • Authors' response
    • Neeru Gupta MD PhD,
    • Yeni Yucel MD, PhD
    Br J Ophthalmol published online September 14, 2009

This Article

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  4. All versions of this article:
    1. bjo.2005.086769v1
    2. bjo.2005.086769v2
    3. 90/6/674 most recent

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