Unable to obtain mitochondrial samples

The purpose of this study is to try to identify the cause of damage to the drainage system of the eye (the trabecular meshwork). Damage to this system may cause elevation in the pressure within the eye and thereby damage to the optic nerve and the vision.

During a routine trabeculectomy surgery, a corneo-scleral block that includes TM tissue will be collected at the operating room. This tissue is routinely removed during every trabeculectomy surgery. The tissue will be stored immediately in normal saline at 4 degrees Celsius, and walked directly to the Jefferson Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University by the Wills eye glaucoma research fellow. TM tissue will be identified using light microscope base on TM cell pigmentation. The ocular tissue will be fixed and placed in pre-cooled fixative on ice for 1 hour. The lengths of mitochondrial cross sections at the longest extent will be measured under electron microscopy (EM) in order to identify the mitochondrial dynamics. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) will be done to identify proteins responsible for mitochondrial fusion.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Minimum 2-year diagnosis of POAG
• Moderate to advanced stage of the disease
• DDLS stages 5 through 10 with visual field loss
• Age between 21 and 80 years
• Planned trabeculectomy with or without concomitant cataract surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age ≤ 20 years old
• Any other type of glaucoma other than POAG
• Patients who had undergone selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) or argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT)
• Patients with history of ocular trauma
• Patients with previous eye surgery will be excluded both from the study and the control groups