CONGENITAL GLAUCOMA
Congenital glaucoma is an eye disease where the normal eye pressure is affected by the buildup of fluid in the eye.
You might say that 3 year old Juan Navarro is a little ham. Smiling and posing for the camera, he looks like your typical playful toddler. But when he was just an infant his mother Carmen noticed that his eyes did not look right. “There was a lot of white in his eyes,” recalls Carmen.
Doctors discovered that Juan was born with congenital glaucoma. It occurs in about 1 in every 10,000 births. The key to treating congenital glaucoma is early diagnosis.
“That’s the tragedy because if congenital glaucoma not diagnosed early these kids do go on to have severe visual loss and possible blindness from it,” says ophthalmologist, Dr. Kevin Greenridge, of Long Island College Hospital.
Congenital glaucoma occurs when the drainage system in the eye is blocked or malformed.
“In babies the drainage system is blocked because it has not matured or developed properly and that fluid can’t get out. What happens in congenital glaucoma is that the pressure builds and then it damages the sensitive optic nerve in the back of the eye. So the surgery we do is to actually open up that drainage system,” says Dr. Greenridge.
Before the age of 3, the wall of the eye is very soft and elastic. Therefore, when the eye pressure rises in congenital glaucoma, the eye enlarges. This is often recognized by parents or the pediatrician.
Other warning signals of congenital glaucoma may include your child beginning to pay extra attention to their eyes. If they have excessive tearing, if they continually rub their eyes, or have sensitivity to light, it may be a sign of congenital glaucoma. If you see any of the above warning signs, it’s a good idea tell your pediatrician.
“One of the differences between child glaucoma, or congenital glaucoma and adult glaucoma is that surgery is required in these children for treatment. Drops, laser therapy is not useful in children and most often they have to have surgery in order to get the pressure in the eye to become normal,” says Dr. Greenridge.
Juan has had 6 operations to treat his congenital glaucoma.. His eye pressure has reduced and Dr. Greenridge says he has been able to retain 80% of his vision. Carmen, Juan’s mother, is thrilled at his progress. “He’s very excited, very happy. He’s learning very quickly,” says Carmen.
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