The Gut Microbiome in Glaucoma Patients

Although glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, its pathogenesis is incompletely understood and the intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable risk factor to target the disease. Several associations between the gut microbiome and glaucoma including the IOP have been suggested. There is growing evidence that the gut microbiome may also play a role in ocular diseases such as glaucoma. In this study, we aimed to find characteristic features of the gut microbiome in patients with glaucoma. By whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing of 32 stool samples, we identified the diversity of the gut microbiome in healthy induviduals and in glaucoma patients.This study may help to design new therapeutic approaches to target glaucoma and other associated diseases.