The prognostic value of HLA-B12 and HLA-B7 antigens in patients with increased intraocular pressure.

The presence of the histocompatibility antigens HLA-B12 or HLA-B7 in 76 patients with increased intraocular pressure and a GG response to topical corticosteroids (intraocular pressure over 31 mm Hg after six weeks of topical 0.1% dexamethasone eyedrops, four times daily) correlated with the development of glaucomatous visual field loss. In close agreement with prevalences in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, 14 (88%) of the 16 patients with increased intraocular pressure and a GG response who developed glaucomatous visual field loss had either HLA-B12 or B7 antigens. Fourteen (41%) of 34 patients with increased intraocular pressure and a GG response who had B12 or B7 antigens developed glaucomatous visual field loss but only two (5%) of 42 similar patients without either antigen had visual field loss. Other factors such as the initial intraocular pressure, the horizontal cup/disk ratio, and family history of glaucoma proved less valuable as prognostic indicators in this series.