Homeostatic alterations related to total antioxidant capacity, elemental concentrations and isotopic compositions in aqueous humor of glaucoma patients.

Glaucoma is a multifactorial eye disease, characterized by progressive optic neurodegeneration. Elevation of the intraocular pressure is the main risk factor for glaucoma and is a consequence of an imbalance in the aqueous humor hydrodynamics, the physiology of which is influenced by the homeostatic equilibrium of essential elements, oxidative stress, and antioxidants. The aim of this work was to study local alterations in glaucomatous patients from two different, but connected, points of view: (i) the total antioxidant capacity (as an indicator of oxidative damage) and (ii) the concentration of mineral elements and their isotopic composition.

Pilot study of homeostatic alterations of mineral elements in serum of patients with age-related macular degeneration via elemental and isotopic analysis using ICP-mass spectrometry.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the main cause of irreversible blindness in people over 60 years of age, is an eye disease that evolves with loss of central vision. Although AMD manifests itself in the eye, blood is continuously flowing through the macular region, such that potential alterations in this region could be reflected in the composition of whole blood or plasma/serum. Therefore, the potential clinical relevance of analysis of serum samples was assessed because of the low degree of invasiveness of blood sampling.