Congenital glaucoma is a type of congenital eye defect that can cause damage to the baby's eyes. Damage to the baby's eyes can cause vision problems or even blindness. Therefore, congenital glaucoma needs to be treated by a doctor immediately.
In a healthy eyeball there is a clear fluid that continues to flow and is absorbed by the canal which consists of blood vessels inside the eyeball. The function of the fluid in the eyeball is to provide nutrition to all eye tissue and remove dirt from the eye.
When these channels don't work properly or become blocked, fluid inside the eyeball can build up and increase pressure on the eyeball. When the pressure inside the eyeball is too high, over time this condition can damage the optic nerve.
This is what causes glaucoma. This disease can occur in adults and the elderly.
However, in certain cases, glaucoma can occur from birth. Glaucoma that occurs in newborns is called congenital glaucoma.
Recognizing the Causes and Symptoms of Congenital Glaucoma
The cause of congenital glaucoma is not known with certainty. However, certain factors, such as genetics or having a parent who had glaucoma from birth, are thought to increase the baby's risk of being born with congenital glaucoma.
Eye disease in infants can be recognized from the following symptoms:
- Frequent tears.
- It's hard to open my eyes.
- Often closes one or both eyes when in bright light.
- Stiffness or spasm of the eyelids (blepharospasm).
- The baby's eye cornea looks cloudy.
- One or both of the baby's corneas are larger than normal.
- Baby's eyes are red.
If your little one experiences the symptoms above, it is advisable to immediately take him to the doctor so that examination and treatment can be carried out immediately.
Steps for Handling Congenital Glaucoma
To diagnose congenital glaucoma, the doctor will perform a thorough eye examination of the baby. The examination includes eye movement, measuring eye pressure, and the condition of the optic nerve.
If the results of the examination show that the baby has glaucoma, then treatment needs to be done. The following are some steps to treat congenital glaucoma that doctors can do:
Operation
The main treatment for congenital glaucoma is surgery. This surgery is done to open and repair the drainage canal for fluid in the baby's eyeball. In addition to conventional eye surgery, eye surgery can also be done with laser surgery.
Administration of drugs
If the baby's condition does not allow for surgery, the doctor can give medication first to lower the pressure in the eyeball.
The drugs that are usually used to treat congenital glaucoma are class drugs beta blockers, such as timolol, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, such as acatezolamide. Doctors can give these drugs in the form of eye drops and oral medications.
After surgery, the baby's eye condition needs to be monitored regularly. Once he is old enough, he may need glasses or contact lenses to improve his vision, if he has vision problems.
Recognizing the symptoms of glaucoma as early as possible is important so that this condition can be treated early. The earlier treatment is carried out, the better the chances of saving the baby's vision and eye condition. So, don't forget to check your little one's eye health condition to an eye doctor after he is born.
