Australian scientists find short-sightedness gene

Australian scientists last Monday said they are one step closer to solving the most common eye disorder in the world - myopia or short-sightedness.

An international genetic research project studying more than 13, 000 twins has uncovered a key gene that causes the disorder. A professor of ophthalmology at the Lions Eye Institute in Western Australia, David Mackey, led part of an international project to identify the exact genes responsible for myopia.

He said 13,000 people, all twins, took part in the study. “We analyze usually around 600,000 Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) markers and find which markers tend to run more commonly with the feature that we are measuring - in this case myopia,” Mackey told ABC News.

“And in collaboration with the twin research group in London we have been able to identify one new gene associated with myopia, mainly in older people.” Researcher at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Dr MacGregor, said decreased cornea thickness was a major contributor to glaucoma as was “intraocular pressure,” or the amount of pressure inside the eyeball.

“We identified genes that influence the pressure inside the eye. This type of work can lead to genetic tests that can analyze the risk of blindness, and help doctors to monitor people who may have a higher risk of conditions such as glaucoma.” said Dr MacGregor.

AFP