[Multifactorial molecular genetics in glaucoma].

Diseases with nonmendelian, complex, polygenic or multifactorial heredity are defined as disorders that do not exhibit a classic mendelian inheritance attributable to a single gene but are determined by a number of genetic and environmental factors. Glaucoma forms having a multifactorial heredity encompass primary open-angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, steroid induced glaucoma and hypertensive uveitis Future directions in molecular genetics of glaucoma, admirably synthesized within The European Glaucoma Society GlaucoGENE project, comprise reviewing the genotype-phenotype correlations, identification of the new glaucoma genes, investigating gene-environment interactions and gene-gene interactions as well as developing a mutation database that can be used for diagnostic and prognostic testing.