As the name suggests, it is present at birth. Primary congenital glaucoma is diagnosed at birth or after short time and mostly during initial years when child is born. It occurs mostly in boys as compared to girls.
Causes of primary congenital glaucoma
- Improper development of the drainage channels in the eyes is one of the major cause. More fluid is produced continuously but cannot be drained because of improper function of the drainage channels. This results in increased amount of fluid inside the eye that raises IOP.
- Another cause is the problem of increased eye pressure. The pressure increases in the water balloon as more water is put into it. The same situation exists with more fluid inside the eye. More fluid results in high pressure. Water balloon bursts if more water is put into it. In the same way, as the pressure increases, the optic nerve in the eye may get damaged.
Symptoms of primary congenital glaucoma
It is characterized with three symptoms in a small child or an infant:
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive tearing
- Squeezing of the eyelid
If a small child or an infant shows any of the above symptoms, caregivers or parents should seek a medical care provider because they may be signs of glaucoma.
Medications
Use of medicines can temporarily lower IOP. They can also clear cloudiness in the cornea.
Surgery
- Surgery helps to drain out the fluid from the eye and lowers the pressure.
- Ophthalmologist discuss the procedure of appropriate surgery for the child with the caregivers or parents. The benefits and risks associated with each procedure will be explained.
- Trabeculotomy and goniotomy are common surgical procedures. They have approximately 80% of similar success rates.
- When this surgery fails to reduce IOP, the surgeon may perform drainage implant surgery, ciliary body destructive procedures or trabeculectomy.
Possible surgical complications
Serious complications of this surgery may include
- Infection
- Hyphema
- Inflammation of the ciliary body, iris and choroid.
