05/12/2026
Millions of people take corticosteroids every day for joint pain, gut inflammation, and eye conditions. They're one of the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.
But here's something many people don't know: in nearly 1 in 3 individuals, steroid use raises pressure inside the eye, a leading risk factor for glaucoma.
Daniel Stamer, PhD, has spent decades trying to understand why. Now, with support from BrightFocus Foundation’s National Glaucoma Research program, he and his team at Duke University School of Medicine are using new techniques to study individual cells inside the eye's drainage system, focusing on a gene called Angptl7 that may be at the center of it all.
Explore the research. ↘️ 🔬
A commonly used medication is linked to increased risk of glaucoma. A BrightFocus National Glaucoma Research-funded scientist is trying to understand why.