Lymphocyte sensitivity to glucocorticoids.

We evaluated the possibility of identifying patients with open-angle glaucoma based on the in vitro behavior of their lymphocytes in the presence of glucocorticoids. Our results do not support the hypothesis that lymphocytes from patients with open-angle glaucoma, as compared to those from normal subjects, are more sensitive to the presence of corticosteroids in vitro. In addition, the degree of inhibition induced by glucocorticoids was closely related to the amount of activation of the lymphocyte membrane induced by different concentrations of phytohemagglutinin. Our results indicated that this may be a general phenomenon rather than one that is specific to a particular ophthalmological condition.