Glial and neuronal cellular changes in the glaucomatous human retina

: The purpose of the present study was analysis of the cellular response to glaucoma in the human retina. Retinal strips obtained from two enucleated eyes with therapy-resistant, absolute glaucoma were explanted and cultured in vitro. The morphology of the remaining cell populations was assessed with the DiI method in non-cultured, formalin-fixed retinal tissue from both retinas. We found immunohistochemically identifiable glia cells migrating out from the explants and glial processes formed on the substrate. Labelling of representative retinal areas with the fluorescent dye DiI applied to the nerve fiber layer resulted in delineation of growth cone-bearing glial processes, of occasional non-atrophied ganglion cells, and of amacrines and horizontal cells in deeper layers of the retina. The results demonstrate that glaucoma leads both to selective damage of ganglion cells and to a glial proliferation characterized by the formation of processes both in the retina and following explantation.