Gut microbiome dataset for glaucoma analysis

Glaucoma is an eye disease that is the commonest cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It has been suggested that gut microbiota can produce reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines that may travel from the gastric mucosa to distal sites, such as the optic nerve head or trabecular meshwork. There is evidence for a gut-eye axis, as microbial dysbiosis has been associated with retinal diseases. Moreover, gut microbial dysbiosis is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. The eye and brain have a shared embryonic origin, and glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease share multiple common biochemical and pathological changes. Here, we investigated the association between glaucoma prevalence and the gut microbiome. Moreover, we analyzed the association of the gut microbiome with intraocular pressure (IOP; risk factor of glaucoma) and vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR; quantifying glaucoma severity).

The discovery analyses include participants of the Rotterdam Study and the Erasmus Glaucoma Cohort. A total of 225 glaucoma patients and 1247 age- and sex-matched participants without glaucoma were included in our analyses. Stool samples were collected and used to generate 16S rRNA gene profiles.