Corticosteroid response in dominant congenital glaucoma

The parents of six children with goniodysgenesis and hereditary infantile congenital glaucoma were tested with corticosteroid eye-drops. Their response on provocation demonstrated a clear trend: In five families one parent of each couple responded with a tensional rise of 9 mmHg or more, whereas the other parent responded with a rise of 9 mmHg or less. Of the six parents with the greater response, five had glaucoma in their ancestry and displayed a distinct goniodysgenesis. The findings support the previously presented view that hereditary infantile congenital glaucoma is caused by a dominant goniodysgenesis with varying expressively. The high corticosteroid response in the families of our study appears to be correlated to this goniodysgenesis. The inherited corticosteroid response is obviously not a specific genetic trait confined to families with simple glaucoma.