Clinical news in brief

Regular physical exercise may help reduce the risk of glaucoma. A new study published in this month's Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science looked at the intraocular pressure, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 6,000 men and women in the UK aged between 48 and 90 and found that those who had regularly exercised over the preceding 15 years were found to have a reduced mean pressure value related to the three measurements.

Researchers have identified a specific rare mutation associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). At present, predictions of AMD are based on a variety of risk factors along with some relatively common and widespread genetic variants. The mutation, CFH R1210C, is very rare in people without AMD and has a strong prevalence in those with the disease. Head of the research team Professor Johanna Seddon said: 'The discovery of this rare but penetrant variant points the way to developing new and effective treatments.'