Congenital glaucoma is a rare disease of the eyes that affects children from birth to 3 years of age, caused by increased pressure inside the eye due to the accumulation of fluid, which can affect the optic nerve and lead to blindness when left untreated.
The baby who is born with congenital glaucoma has symptoms such as cloudy and swollen cornea and enlarged eyes. In places where there is no eye test, it is usually detected at around 6 months or even later, which makes it difficult for the child to have the best treatment and visual prognosis.
For this reason, it is important for the newborn to do the eye test by the ophthalmologist until the end of the first trimester. In case of confirmation of Congenital Glaucoma, the ophthalmologist may even prescribe eye drops to decrease intraocular pressure, however this is done to decrease pressure before surgery. The treatment consists of surgery through goniotomy, trabeculotomy or implants of prostheses draining the intraocular fluid.
How to treat congenital glaucoma
To treat Congenital Glaucoma, an ophthalmologist can prescribe eye drops to lower intraocular pressure to lower pressure before surgery. The surgery is done through goniotomy, trabeculotomy or implants of prostheses draining the intraocular fluid.
It is important to make an early diagnosis and start treatment, as it is possible to prevent complications, such as blindness. Know the main eye drops to treat glaucoma.
Symptoms of congenital glaucoma
Congenital glaucoma can be identified through some symptoms such as:
- Up to 1 year: The cornea of the eye becomes swollen, becoming cloudy, the child shows discomfort in the light and tries to cover the eyes in the light; Between 1 and 3 years: The cornea increases in size and it is common for children to be praised for their large eyes; Up to 3 years: Same signs and symptoms. The eyes will only grow by increasing the pressure until this age.
Other symptoms like excessive tear secretion and red eyes may also be present in congenital glaucoma.
Diagnosis of congenital glaucoma
The early diagnosis of glaucoma is complicated, as the symptoms are considered nonspecific and may vary according to the age of the onset of symptoms and the degree of malformations. However, congenital glaucoma can be identified by means of a complete eye examination that includes measuring the pressure inside the eye and examining all parts of the eye such as the cornea and optic nerve, for example. Learn more about the glaucoma exam.
Glaucoma is usually caused by increased pressure in the eyes, known as intraocular pressure. The pressure increase occurs because a liquid called aqueous humor is produced in the eye and, as the eye is closed, this liquid needs to be drained naturally. When the drainage system does not work properly, the liquid cannot be drained out of the eye and thus the pressure inside the eye increases.
However, despite the increase in pressure being the most common cause, there are cases in which there is no high intraocular pressure and, in these cases, the disease is caused by malfunction of the optic nerve blood vessels, for example.
Learn more about diagnosing glaucoma in the following video:
