Community Corner
Childhood Glaucoma the "Sneak Thief of Sight"
Sure your kid has probably had a quick eye chart test at his pediatrician's office but would you know the signs of a major eye condition, like glaucoma?
When you hear the term “glaucoma” what comes to mind? An elderly relative? A condition only present in old age? Think again.
Childhood glaucoma is a condition often overlooked by pediatricians, and even many eye doctors; yet is one of the leading causes of vision loss in infants up through adulthood.
Glaucoma is often referred to as the "sneak thief of sight," as 3 million Americans have it but only half know they do.
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My son was diagnosed with newborn glaucoma just days after his birth. His identical twin was unaffected and no one in our families has the condition.
It just so happened that Dr. David Walton, the world’s expert on pediatric glaucoma and head of the Children’s Glaucoma Foundation, practiced in Boston.
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On one of our recent visits to Dr. Walton's office, he told me many children who have this condition are overlooked, sometimes for years, only because caregivers, parents and pediatricians aren’t in tuned to the warning signs.
Dr. Walton told story after story of children who showed signs, but the condition wasn’t recognized until much later. One child was very sensitive to bright sunlight so his doctor recommended that the parents “toughen him up” by taking him into the sun to get used to it. The child had glaucoma.
Considering that untreated glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness, I thought it is important to get the word out, even if it saves one child his sight.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the abnormal elevation of eye pressure resulting in ocular and optic nerve injury causing loss of vision.
Vision problems affect 1 in 20 preschoolers and 1 in 4 school-age children. Glaucoma is just one of many visual disorders and affects approximately 1 in 10,000 children.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it’s recommended that children have a comprehensive eye exam by a licensed eye doctor at regular intervals starting at age 3 or 4, but many only have a quick exam reading an eye chart in their pediatrician’s office. A cursory test like that will not identify any eye conditions.
Signs of glaucoma in children under age 2:
- Extreme fussiness
- Large prominent eyes
- Excessive tearing
- Closed eyes in bright light
- Cloudy corneas
- One eye is larger than the other
- Poor vision
Questions to ask all children under age 18:
- Are your child’s eyes particularly sensitive to sunlight or a camera flash?
- Have you noticed significant vision loss in your child?
- Do your child’s eyes have difficulty adjusting in the dark?
- Does your child complain of headaches and/or eye pain?
- Does your child blink or/and squeeze his/her eyes often?
- Does your child have red eyes all the time?
If any of these signs are present it’s worth bringing up to your caregiver.
As with any condition, treatment of glaucoma is most successful with an early diagnosis. Both medications and surgery are used to treat this incurable condition. Regular eye checks are crucial as well. If you feel your child is having a problem and it’s dismissed get a second opinion. It just may save your child their sight.
Helpful links:
http://www.childrensglaucoma.com/_structure.php?content=welcome
