Australian Researchers Identify Several New Genes Causing Eye Disease

Australia's Herald Sun reports, Australian scientists have identified several new genes that cause eye disease, in further steps towards a test that could determine a person's lifetime 'risk of blindness.'

Investigators led by Stuart MacGregor at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research assessed data from more than a thousand sets of twins, looking for genes that drive a range of vision-related problems from mild to severe.

They found not only a gene influencing cornea thickness, but also discovered a new gene for myopia...new genes affecting glaucoma risk, and a gene that causes optic nerve hypoplasia -- one of the leading causes of blindness in children.