Concomitant dominant optic atrophy and juvenile glaucoma in two siblings with a novel OPA1 splicing variant

We report the clinical history of two siblings, initially diagnosed with juvenile glaucoma (JG), who were subsequently found to harbor a novel pathogenic OPA1 splicing variant consistent with dominant optic atrophy (DOA).

The male proband presented with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) at age 11, while his sister had normal IOP values at age 16. Both developed bilateral temporal optic nerve pallor, central visual field defects, and reduced color vision. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) confirmed thinning of the retinal nerve fiber and ganglion cell layers. Whole exome sequencing identified a novel splice-site variant in OPA1 (NM_130837.3:c.611-2A>T) in both siblings and their affected mother, classified as pathogenic according to ACMG/AMP guidelines. During treatment washout, the male proband showed elevated IOP, consistent with concomitant JG and DOA, whereas the sister exhibited DOA only.

This report highlights the importance of considering DOA in young patients with presumed JG, and suggests potential overlapping pathophysiology involving mitochondrial dysfunction and retinal ganglion cells vulnerability.