The neurotrophin (NT) hypothesis proposes that the obstruction of retrograde transport at the
optic nerve head results in the deprivation of neurotrophic support to retinal ganglion cells
(RGC) leading to apoptotic cell death in glaucoma. An important corollary to this concept is
the implication that appropriate enhancement of neurotrophic support will prolong the
survival of injured RGC indefinitely. This hypothesis is, perhaps, the most widely recognized
theory to explain RGC loss resulting from exposure of the eye to elevated intraocular …