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Additional file 1: Fig. S1. Flow chart of the inclusion and exclusion of study population. Table S1. Pearson correlation coefficient of air pollutants and meteorological variables. Fig. S2. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of acute glaucoma attack per IQR increase in ambient air pollution exposure in two-pollutant model.

Purpose. Increased evidence reveals that uric acid (UA) may have an important neuroprotective effect through its antioxidant properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between pretreatment serum UA levels and the progression of newly diagnosed primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). Methods. This prospective observational cohort study included 64 patients with newly diagnosed PACG who were followed up for a mean period of 12.77 months (range: 3–28 months). All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmological examination during the baseline and final follow-up visits, together with the acquisition of blood samples for UA measurements. During the follow-up period, the progression of PACG was defined as a clinical diagnosis of medically uncontrolled intraocular pressure and a loss of visual field with a mean deviation of >1 dB/year. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were used to investigate the association between baseline serum UA levels and the progression of PACG. The cumulative probability of progression of glaucoma was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. During follow-up, 32 subjects were defined as progressive PACG, among whom baseline UA values were significantly higher in nonprogressing subjects than in progressing subjects (0.314±0.069 mmol/l versus [vs.] 0.258±0.069 mmol/l, respectively; P=0.002). Similar results were also observed in male and female subgroups (P<0.05). In a multivariable model, a decreased baseline serum UA level was associated with an increased risk for progressing PACG: both in male (hazard ratio [HR] 6.088 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.163–31.8638]; P=0.032) and female subjects (HR 3.565 [95% CI 1.131–11.236]; P=0.030). Subjects with high UA levels demonstrated higher cumulative probabilities of nonprogressing PACG than those with low UA levels (male [16.67% vs. 80.00%; P=0.0084] and female [29.41% vs. 68.00%; P=0.0182]). Conclusion. An association between high baseline serum UA levels and a decreased risk for progressing PACG was found. This primary finding suggests that high serum UA levels may have a protective role against PACG and could slow disease progression.

Background Particulate matter (PM) is strongly linked to human health and has detrimental effects on the eye. Studies have, however, focused on the ocular surface, with limited research on the impact of PM2.5 on intraocular pressure (IOP).Methods To investigate the impact of PM2.5 on IOP and the associated mechanism, C57BL/6 mouse eyes were topically exposed to a PM2.5 suspension for 3 months, and human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells were subjected to various PM2.5 concentrations in vitro.Results The results revealed that the IOP increased gradually after PM2.5 exposure, and an upregulation of NLRP3 inflammasome, caspase-1, IL-1β, and GSDMD protein levels was observed in outflow tissues. PM2.5 exposure decreased HTM cell viability and affected contraction. Further, elevated ROS levels were observed as well as an activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and downstream inflammatory factors caspase-1 and IL-1β. ROS scavenger or caspase-1 inhibitor treatment improved these PM2.5-induced changes.Conclusion This study provides novel evidence of the PM2.5-mediated development of ocular hypertension, which occurs as a result of increased oxidative stress and the subsequent induction of pyroptosis in trabecular meshwork cells.

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 3. Odds ratios of grouping variables computed by generalized estimating equation according to complete success criteria.

Additional file 2: Supplementary Table 2. Odds ratios of grouping variables computed by generalized estimating equation according to partial success criteria.

Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1. Grouping criteria.

Glaucoma is now viewed not just a disease of the eye but also a disease of the brain. The prognosis of glaucoma critically depends on how early the disease can be detected. However, early glaucomatous loss of the laminar functions in the human lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and superior colliculus (SC) remains difficult to detect and poorly understood. Using functional MRI, we measured neural signals from different layers of the LGN and SC, as well as from the early visual cortices (V1, V2 and MT), in patients with early-stage glaucoma and normal controls. Compared to normal controls, early glaucoma patients showed more reduction of response to transient achromatic stimuli than to sustained chromatic stimuli in the magnocellular layers of the LGN, as well as in the superficial layer of the SC. Magnocellular responses in the LGN were also significantly correlated with the degree of behavioral deficits to the glaucomatous eye. Finally, early glaucoma patients showed no reduction of fMRI response in the early visual cortex. These findings demonstrate that 'large cells' in the human LGN and SC suffer selective loss of response to transient achromatic stimuli at the early stage of glaucoma. Hum Brain Mapp 37:558-569, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pathological myopia is a refractive error that can result in legal blindness and is prevalent in China. A number of genomic loci have been associated with pathological myopia, but only a few have been validated. This study further evaluated the association of polymorphisms in the CTNND2 gene and the 11q24.1 genomic region with pathological myopia. Both regions had previously been implicated in carrying susceptibility genes for this eye disorder. Genotypic and association analyses were performed on 24 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTNND2 and 11q21.1 genomic regions of 321 subjects with pathological myopia and 310 control subjects with normal vision using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Allele and genotype frequency analyses found that the distribution of variants of the SNP rs1479617 located in the CTNND2 gene significantly differed between the pathological myopia and control groups. Haplotype linkage analysis identified 2 genomic blocks in 11q24.1 that were independently associated with pathological myopia. Specific polymorphisms in the CTNND2 gene and 11q24.1 genomic region were found to be significantly associated with pathological myopia in this Chinese population, further supporting the idea that these genomic regions carry susceptibility loci for this disease.

PurposeTo evaluate the in vivo changes in the Schlemm's canal (SC) in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) after trabeculectomy using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).MethodsForty eyes of 40 patients with PACG who underwent trabeculectomy were included. All participants underwent SD-OCT. The diameter and area of SC were examined and measured before and within 1 month after trabeculectomy. All SD-OCT images were processed using adaptive compensation algorithm to improve contrast and image quality. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed for predictors of percentage change in the mean SC diameter and area.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 60.5 ± 14.6 years. Adaptive compensation significantly increased the percentage of sections in which SC was observable in the subjects studied from 52.5% (21/40) to 75.0% (30/40), which has acceptable intraobserver and interobserver repeatability. There was a significant increase in the SC diameter and area at the follow-up examination compared with the baseline value (SC diameter: 34.2 ± 6.2 μm vs. 28.4 ± 6.1 μm; SC area: 8117 ± 1942 μm(2) vs. 5200 ± 996 μm(2); all P < 0.001). After multivariate analysis, the only variable related to changes in SC was percentage change in IOP (SC diameter, P = 0.002; SC area, P < 0.001). In addition, the magnitude of the change in the SC area also correlated with angle opening distance at 750 μm from the scleral spur at baseline.ConclusionsExpansion of SC was observed after trabeculectomy in PACG patients. The degree of SC expansion was related to the extent of the IOP decrease.