Pediatric Glaucoma

What are the signs and symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma symptoms can occur in one or both eyes. Signs and symptoms of glaucoma include:

• Bigger than normal eyes, or one eye that is bigger than the other. High pressure from extra fluid in a baby’s eye can increase the eye’s size.
• Eye cloudiness
• Sensitivity to light
• Excessive blinking
• Excessive tearing
• Red and irritated eyes

How do we diagnose pediatric glaucoma?

At Children's Hospital Colorado, ophthalmologists diagnose glaucoma after an eye exam that includes:

• Measuring eye pressure
• Dilating the pupil to look at the optic nerve
• Assessing vision
• Measuring the size of the eye to see if it has grown too big

Once we complete the exam and provide a diagnosis, your child’s ophthalmologist will develop a special treatment plan for your child.

How do we treat pediatric glaucoma?

Children’s Colorado is one of the only places in the Rocky Mountain region able to treat glaucoma in children. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to lower the pressure inside the eye to prevent damage to the optic nerve and vision loss. Though glaucoma treatment can’t reverse damage to a child’s eye from glaucoma, treatment can help to prevent further damage and vision loss. Your child’s ophthalmologist will provide them with the best treatment options unique to them.

Medical glaucoma treatment

Sometimes an ophthalmologist can treat glaucoma with eye drops. Eye drops can help lower the pressure in the eye either by reducing the amount of fluid produced or improving fluid drainage out of the eye.

Glaucoma surgery

If medicine is not enough to lower the eye pressure, sometimes children with glaucoma need surgery to protect their vision. The goal of glaucoma surgery is to allow fluid to drain out of the eye more easily, so the eye can have a healthy pressure. Our ophthalmologists perform glaucoma surgery while children are under general anesthesia. There are several types of pediatric glaucoma surgery:

• Cyclophotocoagulation: A laser freezes parts of the eye that make fluid; this reduces fluid production.
• Goniotomy: Surgeons insert a needle or blade into the eye under a microscope to open the drainage angle of the eye and allow fluid to flow out more easily.
• Trabeculotomy: Surgeons make a small cut on the outside surface of the eye and use a small surgical tool to open the drainage angle of the eye so fluid can flow out more easily.
• Glaucoma tube surgery: If the ophthalmologist cannot open the drainage angle through a goniotomy or trabeculotomy, then they will insert a small silicone tube into the eye. Fluid from the inside of the eye can then drain through the tube and lower the pressure. The tube is designed to remain in the eye permanently.

Why choose us for your child's glaucoma treatment

Children’s Colorado offers a pediatric glaucoma clinic staffed by ophthalmologists who are experts in both medical and surgical treatment of childhood glaucoma. We have extensive experience successfully treating glaucoma in babies and children from across the Rocky Mountain region.

Our pediatric-trained specialists and equipment designed specifically for kids ensure that your child receives the best care. From the clinic to the patient rooms, our hospital was built and designed to be the most healing environment for children and their families. Our multidisciplinary model also means that our ophthalmology team can coordinate with other specialists in the hospital in case an eye condition might be related to larger medical issues. And our ophthalmologists are specially trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of eye disorders in kids, which means we know what to look for and the best way to approach treatment.