diff --git a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/include/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.h b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/include/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.h
index 893aed41c80..877e83b1deb 100644
--- a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/include/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.h
+++ b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/include/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.h
@@ -207,9 +207,13 @@ namespace Ogre {
         /// A stack of 32 booleans packed into one value :)
         unsigned EnableOutput;
         unsigned EnableElif;
+        unsigned Passthrough;
         /// The list of macros defined so far
         std::forward_list<Macro> MacroList;
 
+        /// List of define prefixes to pass through
+        std::vector<const char*> PassthroughList;
+
         /**
          * Private constructor to re-parse a single token.
          */
@@ -444,6 +448,14 @@ namespace Ogre {
         /// Destroy the preprocessor object
         virtual ~CPreprocessor ();
 
+        /** Define-prefixes from this list cause the #if directive not to be expanded
+
+            useful to test GLSL extension support at runtime
+            @param lst the list. Supposed to contain string literals. Make sure that the memory pointed
+            is available throughout the lifetime of CPreprocessor otherwise.
+        */
+        void setPassthroughDefines(const std::vector<const char*>& lst) { PassthroughList = lst; }
+
         /**
          * Define a macro without parameters.
          * @param iMacroName
diff --git a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.cpp b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.cpp
index fe045f2eaf5..94427ec8e84 100644
--- a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.cpp
+++ b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLPreprocessor.cpp
@@ -989,6 +989,7 @@ namespace Ogre {
 
         EnableElif <<= 1;
         EnableOutput <<= 1;
+        Passthrough <<= 1;
         if (val)
             EnableOutput |= 1;
         else
@@ -1118,6 +1119,22 @@ namespace Ogre {
         return true;
     }
 
+    static const char* strnstr(const char* haystack, size_t length, const char* needle)
+    {
+        size_t needle_length = strlen(needle);
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < length; i++)
+        {
+            if (i + needle_length > length)
+            {
+                return NULL;
+            }
+            if (strncmp(&haystack[i], needle, needle_length) == 0)
+            {
+                return &haystack[i];
+            }
+        }
+        return NULL;
+    }
 
     CPreprocessor::Token CPreprocessor::HandleDirective (Token &iToken, int iLine)
     {
@@ -1178,6 +1195,19 @@ namespace Ogre {
         }
     Done:
 
+        if (strncmp(directive, "if", 2) == 0)
+        {
+            for(auto def : PassthroughList)
+            {
+                if(strnstr(t.String, t.Length, def))
+                {
+                    Passthrough |= 1;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        bool passthrough = Passthrough & 1;
+
 #define IS_DIRECTIVE(s)                                                 \
         (dirlen == strlen(s) && (strncmp (directive, s, dirlen) == 0))
 
@@ -1188,9 +1218,9 @@ namespace Ogre {
             rc = HandleDefine (t, iLine);
         else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("undef") && outputEnabled)
             rc = HandleUnDef (t, iLine);
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("ifdef"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("ifdef") && !passthrough)
             rc = HandleIfDef (t, iLine);
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("ifndef"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("ifndef") && !passthrough)
         {
             rc = HandleIfDef (t, iLine);
             if (rc)
@@ -1199,19 +1229,18 @@ namespace Ogre {
                 EnableElif ^= 1;
             }
         }
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("if"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("if") && !passthrough)
             rc = HandleIf (t, iLine);
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("elif"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("elif") && !passthrough)
             rc = HandleElif (t, iLine);
 
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("else"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("else") && !passthrough)
             rc = HandleElse (t, iLine);
-        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("endif"))
+        else if (IS_DIRECTIVE ("endif") && !passthrough)
             rc = HandleEndIf (t, iLine);
         else
         {
-            //Error (iLine, "Unknown preprocessor directive", &iToken);
-            //return Token (Token::TK_ERROR);
+            if(IS_DIRECTIVE ("endif")) Passthrough &= ~1;
 
             // Unknown preprocessor directive, roll back and pass through
             Line = old_line;
@@ -1272,6 +1301,7 @@ namespace Ogre {
         BOL = true;
         EnableOutput = 1;
         EnableElif = 0;
+        Passthrough = 0;
 
         // Accumulate output into this token
         Token output (Token::TK_TEXT);
diff --git a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLShaderCommon.cpp b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLShaderCommon.cpp
index 2a19b3f4d4d..8b0d93264e5 100644
--- a/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLShaderCommon.cpp
+++ b/RenderSystems/GLSupport/src/GLSL/OgreGLSLShaderCommon.cpp
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ namespace Ogre {
         // Preprocess the GLSL shader in order to get a clean source
         CPreprocessor cpp;
 
+        cpp.setPassthroughDefines({"GL_ARB", "GL_EXT", "GL_OES", "__VERSION__"});
         // Define "predefined" macros.
-        // TODO: decide, should we define __VERSION__, and with what value.
         if(getLanguage() == "glsles")
             cpp.Define("GL_ES", 5, 1);
 
diff --git a/Tests/RenderSystems/GLSupport/GLSLTests.cpp b/Tests/RenderSystems/GLSupport/GLSLTests.cpp
index 4d5783ae70b..d3ddd056c01 100644
--- a/Tests/RenderSystems/GLSupport/GLSLTests.cpp
+++ b/Tests/RenderSystems/GLSupport/GLSLTests.cpp
@@ -61,6 +61,23 @@ TEST(CPreprocessorTests, MacroExpansion)
     free(out);
 }
 
+TEST(CPreprocessorTests, Passthrough)
+{
+    CPreprocessor prep;
+    prep.setPassthroughDefines({"GL_ARB"});
+    String src = "#ifdef GL_ARB_shader_texture_lod\n"
+                 "textureCubeLod\n"
+                 "#else\n"
+                 "textureCube\n"
+                 "#endif";
+
+    size_t olen;
+    char* out = prep.Parse(src.c_str(), src.size(), olen);
+    String str(out, olen);
+    EXPECT_EQ(src, str);
+    free(out);
+}
+
 TEST(CPreprocessorTests, IfDef)
 {
     CPreprocessor prep;