Imaging glaucoma’s origins

Researchers from Indiana University’s School of Optometry have produced the first detailed image of the part of the eye where glaucoma originates.

Traditional microscopes struggle to accurately image the structure of this part of the eye due to moving fluid and reflections. A team at Indiana University solved this by adapting mirrors used to look at stars in astronomy.

Senior scientist at the university’s School of Optometry, Dr Thomas Gast, explained: ‘This lets us see inside an eye with basically the quality that a pathologist would look at a piece of tissue with an optical microscope.’

It is hoped that the new method will allow optometrists to provide more accurate prognoses and improve surgical techniques for treatment.