Elevated intraocular pressure and transgenic applications in the mouse.

Exploitation of the mouse as a model for glaucoma has been advanced by the development of methods to measure mouse intraocular pressure (IOP), identification of mutant mouse strains in which IOP spontaneously increases, and the development of treatments to induce elevated IOP. These developments enable investigations that directly test the influence of specific gene product alterations on the progression of glaucoma. Moreover, new transgenic mouse models have been produced with genetic mutations that parallel human gene mutations that have been linked to the onset of glaucoma. These new mouse models and technologies have potential for uncovering the biological basis of glaucoma as well as for evaluating new treatments.