Glaucoma, an eye disease that gradually causes blindness by damaging the optic nerve, is often triggered by excess pressure from fluid in the eye — but some people still lose vision even after that pressure is relieved.
Previous studies had shown that, in both mice and humans, glaucoma is marked by an infiltration of T cells into the retina. When these specific T cells are transferred into a healthy mouse retina, they cause glaucoma-like damage. The study's researchers also previously found that these T cells express a receptor that lets them travel from the gut to the retina.
The researchers identified a protein within the retina that the gut-exposed T cells can bind to, allowing them to sneak into the eye tissue; normal T cells cannot latch onto this protein. When the researchers blocked this protein and T cell interaction, they saw significantly less glaucoma damage.