Inheritance and the pigmentary dispersion syndrome.

We studied 23 patients in four families and have found that ten of these patients fulfill criteria for the pigmentary dispersion syndrome. Affected patients had characteristics associated with the pigmentary dispersion syndrome, which are: peripheral slit-like iris transillumination defects, increased trabecular meshwork pigmentation, Krukenberg spindle, myopia, and elevated intraocular pressure. We observed this syndrome to be transmitted in a direct linear manner from parent to sibling in three of the four families. The transmission of this syndrome was found to be independent of refractive error, iris color, and sexual predilection; all of which will be presented.