A gene mutation which worsens the structural eye defects causing glaucoma has been found in mice.
In glaucoma, the mechanism which drains the eye of the fluid inside the eyeball is faulty. Fluid builds up and may damage the retina, leading to blindness. Glaucoma may be inherited and it is already known that the underlying defect is a lack of the gene known as Cyp1b1.

In the course of studying mice lacking Cyp1b1, researchers at The Jackson Laboratory in the US have uncovered a second gene mutation, which worsens the glaucoma. This is involved in production of L-DOPA, a brain chemical which is used to treat Parkinson's disease. It looks as if there is a defect in the chemical pathway involving DOPA in at least some cases of inherited glaucoma. It may be that DOPA or related drugs could help people with glaucoma, although much more work is needed to establish this. Meanwhile, the current study provides important new insights into how and why glaucoma develops.