Childhood glaucoma - Can children have glaucoma?

May, if not shock people to know that 20 and 30 years may experience the symptoms of glaucoma, in some cases, it will surprise some people to learn as children, even babies can develop glaucoma.




While the adult onset of glaucoma is currently about 1% of the population over 40 years, childhood glaucoma affects about one in 10,000 babies. Marfan syndrome, which affects the heart and skeletal and Sturge Weber syndrome, a congenital disorder that involves a pooling of blood vessels, can cause symptoms of glaucoma.




Glaucoma in children may also be caused by tumors, trauma and inflammation caused by injury. Most mothers make eye contact with their children, so it is very easy to notice childhood glaucoma, the cornea in a child is much softer. Therefore, a child can see the eyes of the ORB to be very dilated and because of eye strain.




Other symptoms of childhood glaucoma may include scraping the eyes, sensitivity to light, and clouds around the cornea. Especially in infants glaucoma can be divided into three phases, the first to be congenital, or birth, the second being caused by diseases and congenital malformations, and the third secondary infantile glaucoma, due to other conditions such as tumors and inflammatory and autoimmune - suffering.




Primary infantile glaucoma, also known as congenital glaucoma or early onset of glaucoma, caused by abnormal development of the trabecular mesh work, which affects one in 30,000 infants. Iris in May also develop fully, and the cornea may be too large or too small.




A genetic mutation on chromosome two causes approximately 90% of all cases of infantile glaucoma. Glaucoma surgery can be done in about 1 to 2 weeks after the birth of the child, the sooner they receive treatment for glaucoma, the better their prognosis. If you suspect that your child is in early May of glaucoma, it is important to bring them to a pediatric ophthalmologist as soon as possible in order to have them checked.