Table of contents:
- Definition
- What is congenital glaucoma?
- How common is this disease?
- Characteristics and symptoms
- What are the features and symptoms of congenital glaucoma?
- Cause
- What causes congenital glaucoma?
- Triggers
- What puts a baby at risk for congenital glaucoma?
- Diagnosis and treatment
- How do doctors diagnose this condition?
- 1. Vision examination
- 2. Measurement of refraction
- 3. Tonometry
- 4. Gonioscopy
- 5. Optic nerve examination (with ophthalmoscopy)
- How to treat congenital glaucoma?
Definition
What is congenital glaucoma?
Congenital glaucoma or pediatric glaucoma is a condition in which high eye pressure is high in children that damages the optic nerve (vision).
This disease is usually diagnosed at birth or not long after. Many cases are also diagnosed when the baby is one year old and under.
Increased pressure in the eye can lead to damage to the optic nerve (glaucoma) and can result in permanent loss of vision (blindness) in infants or children.
How common is this disease?
This disease often affects newborns up to 3 years of age. According to the website of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, congenital glaucoma is found in one in every 10,000 babies. If left untreated, this case can lead to blindness.
Congenital glaucoma can be treated by reducing risk factors. Talk to your doctor for more information.
Characteristics and symptoms
What are the features and symptoms of congenital glaucoma?
The most typical symptoms of congenital glaucoma are as follows:
- Excessive tears (also called epiphora)
- Sensitivity to glare (also known as photophobia)
- Eyelid spasms (also known as blepharospasm)
- The eye size is bigger than normal
If a baby or young child experiences any of these symptoms, you should seek medical care as soon as possible.
Cause
What causes congenital glaucoma?
The cause of glaucoma in general is increased pressure on the eyeball. In congenital glaucoma, the same thing happens.
This disease is characterized by abnormal drainage of the eye (a structure in the eye called trabecular webbing).
Normally, the so-called clear liquid aqueous humor constantly flowing into the eye. This fluid flows from the area behind the iris and then exits through the trabecular woven filter, then is channeled back into the bloodstream.
However, because the trabecular webbing does not function properly, there is interference with flow aqueous humor. This causes the pressure inside the eye to become high.
In congenital glaucoma, the cells and eye tissue in the baby do not develop properly since in the womb. As a result, babies are born with drainage problems in their eyes.
Unfortunately, the cause of incomplete eye drainage formation in infants is not certain. Some cases are hereditary, while others are not.
Triggers
What puts a baby at risk for congenital glaucoma?
Parents with a family history of this condition are more at risk of having a baby with congenital glaucoma.
If your first and second children have this disease, it is likely that the next child will also have the disease.
Boy babies are more prone to this condition than female babies. Sometimes this condition also only affects one eye, but it can also affect both eyes.
Diagnosis and treatment
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.
How do doctors diagnose this condition?
Based on the child's age and response to treatment, several eye examinations can be performed in the clinic.
In infants, testing is usually easier if it is done when the baby is relaxed and sleepy, such as while breastfeeding or shortly after breastfeeding.
In most cases, additional examinations must be performed under sedation or anesthesia, and can be planned immediately after diagnosis.
Your doctor may start by asking you about when your symptoms appeared and your family history of glaucoma, or other eye disorders.
Some of the tests your doctor may order include:
1. Vision examination
In infants, testing is limited to whether the baby can focus on one object and follow a moving object with the eye.
2. Measurement of refraction
This test is done to detect nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. In congenital glaucoma, high eye pressure can cause nearsightedness (myopia) and astigmatism.
3. Tonometry
Tonometry is a test to measure eye pressure and is commonly used as a method of diagnosing glaucoma. The tool used is called a tonometer.
4. Gonioscopy
Gonioscopy is important to detect if the corner (the site of the trabecular webbing) is open, narrowed, or closed, or if other conditions are possible, such as a tissue tear in the corner.
5. Optic nerve examination (with ophthalmoscopy)
To see signs of congenital glaucoma, this is the right option. This examination requires dilation of the pupil to ensure adequate vision.
How to treat congenital glaucoma?
The main glaucoma treatment option is usually surgery. However, because it is too risky to sedate the baby, doctors prefer to do it only when a diagnosis has been confirmed. If both eyes are affected, the doctor will operate on both at once.
If surgery can't be done right away, your doctor may prescribe eye drops, oral medication, or a combination of the two to monitor fluid pressure.
Many doctors perform minor surgical procedures for cases of congenital glaucoma. They use small tools to open drainage channels for excess fluid. Sometimes, the doctor can insert a valve or a small tube to carry fluid out of the eye.
If normal methods don't work, the doctor can perform laser surgery to destroy the part that is producing the fluid. The doctor may also prescribe medication to help control eye pressure after surgery.
