Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucomatous eyes is often due to increased resistance to aqueous outflow. Previous studies have shown that increased extracellular material deposition in outflow pathways leads to increased resistance to aqueous outflow, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β seems to play a role in the deposition of extracellular material. TGF-β2 is the predominant isoform in ocular tissue. Hence, comparison of the aqueous humor TGF-β2 level between patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and controls would provide direct evidence for the role of TGF-β2 in the etiology of OAG. Hence, we performed this meta-analysis to develop an accurate estimate of the changes in aqueous humor TGF-β2 levels among OAG patients.
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