Pattern of Childhood Glaucoma

Abstract

Glaucoma is one of the important causes of blindness in children all over the world1 . Childhood glaucoma encompasses a wide variety of conditions ranging from primary congenital glaucoma to different acquired varieties. They may present with only ocular involvement or as a part of a syndrome with multiple system involvement. The visual prognosis of childhood glaucoma depends upon the structural involvement, stage of presentation, time of intervention and their follow up2. Though all glaucomas are known to produce blindness, childhood glaucoma unlike the glaucoma in adults have different disease process which enables the optic nerve fibers to regain their functional integrity once the IOP is brought down to normal.3 Thus, early diagnosis and early treatment to achieve normal intraocular pressure can, to some extent, bring back one’s vision. Childhood glaucoma certainly needs to be addressed with much more emphasis than that of adult glaucoma, as it may threaten physical as well as mental growth if not tackled at proper time to retain visual stimuli. Most of the literatures on childhood glaucoma have emerged from western world 4,5,6. There has been no literature in this regard from Nepal and profile of childhood glaucoma is yet to be determined. This was a retrospective study carried out by Glaucoma Unit B.P. Koirala Lions Center of Ophthalmic Studies with the main intention to see the profile of glaucoma in Nepalese children. Out of a total of 475 cases of glaucoma seen in a period of 5 years, 27 (5.68%) were found to be the cases of congenital glaucomas. Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) was most frequently seen among children. Majority of the cases of PCG presented late, after 3 years of age, with significant amount of visual loss. Most of them were brought to hospital for the complaint of watering and enlargement of eyeball.