Glaucoma
The CHU Sainte-Justine Glaucoma Clinic treats patients aged 0 - 18 affected by glaucoma. Infantile glaucoma can be defined as a disease combining high pressure in the eye with a progressive dysfunction of the optical nerve.
There are different ways to treat glaucoma: ophthalmic drops, oral medication, surgery and laser. Laser is rarely used with children. In the case of younger children, surgery (goniotomy or trabeculotomy) is often used because of poor effectiveness and side effects of medications. In the case of older children, medications are normally used initially, then surgery (trabeculotomy or Molteno implant) in case of failure.
The type of treatment given therefore depends on the child's age and the cause of the glaucoma.
Most often, the child must be sedated (sedation at the clinic or general anaesthesia) for a better examination, in particular if the child doesn’t collaborate.
Closely monitoring the intraocular pressure and status of the optical nerve (including a verification of the patient’s visual field, if possible) is the key in effectively treating glaucoma.
If it is well monitored during several years, glaucoma can decompensate and require one or more additional treatments.
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