Eye Concerns
Glaucoma In Babies & Children
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma occurs when a build-up of fluid in the eye creates pressure, damaging the optic nerve. In congenital glaucoma—or glaucoma in infants—pressure on the eye may have increased at birth. This pressure may continue through a baby’s first few months of life, and can lead to vision loss. Only one in about 10,000 babies develops glaucoma, making this a fairly rare condition in infants.
Babies with glaucoma exhibit some behavioral and physical signs that you may recognize as unusual. Often, these babies don’t like bright lights or sunshine. Their eyes may tear more than normally, and one eye may look larger than the other. Also, the eyes may bulge, a symptom known as buphthalmos, or ox eyes.
What are the causes?
It appears that in most cases, childhood glaucoma is an inherited condition—particularly if glaucoma runs in both the mother’s and father’s families. Other eye disorders or diseases may trigger glaucoma, or it may result from an injury to the eye.
How can it be treated?
Glaucoma surgery is the preferred treatment for babies, and its success rate is very high. Using a highly focused laser beam, your doctor improves the flow of fluids in the eye, relieving the pressure.
While glaucoma cannot be cured and the surgery does not restore lost vision, the procedure prevents additional vision loss—and when completed early in a baby’s life, vision loss can be prevented.
Medical treatment, including the use of eye drops and oral medications, help to increase the flow of fluid out of the eye, which lowers eye pressure. Your doctor may recommend this treatment in addition to surgery. Bausch & Lomb makes a series of medications for this
