Glaucoma in Children- Congenital Glaucma

Congenital glaucoma and children glaucoma

إقرأ عن جلوكوما الأطفال وكيفية علاجها باللغة العربية

Glaucoma in children or what we call congenital glaucoma is a rare disease caused by rise of the pressure inside the eye of the infant. The rise of eye pressure in infants/ children causes pressure on the optic nerve head, which is responsible for transmitting the visual implulses seen by the eye to the brain. This can seriosly damage the eyesight in the infant’s eye if left untreated.

Glaucoma in children can lead to eye enlargement and cloudiness

In children with congenital glaucoma, the eye yields to pressure rise and swells gradually resulting in larger eyes. This is due to the elastic nature of the eye in the infant. In more advanced cases of congenital glaucoma, fluid is pushed through the cornea (the transparent part infront of the eye). This leads to cloudiness and greyish discoloration. This alos leads the infant to become very intolerant to bright light and his eyes tearing.

What causes children glaucoma (congenital glaucoma)?

The eye is normally filled by a clear fluid which circulates in the eye to get out of the eye through tissues in the angle between the iris (the coloured tissue of the eye) and the cornea (the transparent clear part infront of the eye). If the circulation of this fluid out of the eye is impaired, the pressure inside the eye risees, and can cause damage to the optic nerve (responsible of image transmission to the brain). Glaucoma in children can be caused by heriditary reasons. or some other disorder in the eye.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma in children?

persistent tearfulness
intolerance to average normal light conditions (photophobia)
eye enlargement, which can be inequal in both eyes if the degreee of congenital glaucoma is different in both eyes
greyish discoloration

How do we diagnose children glauocma?

Examination of children can be carried out at Dr Khalil office while the baby is awake. This is usually possible in the early weeks of life. As examination requires the infant to be fully relaxed, it is more often than not carried out under light anesthesia in the operating room.

Among several other tests, Dr Khalil measures the eye pressure, the size of the eye and sees the back of the eye to assess the condition of the optic nerve and extent of pressure on it.

Are there certain areas in the world where children glaucoma is more prevalent than others?

Congenital glauocma has a high prevalence rate in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent. Genetic and environmental factors might play a role in this preddeliction. That is why some of the best centers in the world for the treatment of congenital glaucoma in children are in Egypt and India.

How glaucoma in children is treated?

Treatment of glaucoma in children is mainly surgical, by special surgeries designed for the eye of the infant. Due to their potential side effects and weakness in infant eyes, medicines in the form of glaucoma eye drops is used only temporarily till surgery.

Dr Ahmad Khalil is pioneering a technique of surgery, a modified trabeculotomy, since 1998. He has operated well over thousand eyes with some of the highest success rates in the world. Most of these children keep following up at the clinic. Some of the happiest moments of Dr Khalil are when a 20-years-old who had his congenital glaucoma operations done in infancy by Dr Khalil. Most of these children enjoy a normal eyesight and vision functions.

Thank you for taking care of our child with congenital glaucoma

Messages from the parents of children who had their congenital glaucoma operated by Dr Ahmad Khalil

Dear Dr. Ahmed Khalil, We would like to express our genuine gratitude for your dedication to our daughter's case. We thought we'd share our experience here if you don't mind. Our daughter, Zeina was diagnosed with children glaucoma (Primary Congenital Glaucoma). We did lots of research and Dr. Ahmed was the most recommended to us. He was honest, direct and really helpful explaining the case as extensively as possible. After the successful operation on the first eye, the second was successfully done too. In regards to our worries and concerns, Dr. Ahmed was very understanding and really helped us through them in a very patient and approachable manner. We even sent him weekly photos to review her eye progress, he was very welcoming and keen on following up on her case. We now consider him as part of our family for all the good he's done for us. We do highly recommend him. Regards

To Dr Ahmad Khalil With sincerest regards and appreciation, we would like to thank you for taking care of our daughter Wessam's case. She was suffering from congenital glaucoma since she was born. We owe you for all you have offered to us and to her of moral support, frank explannations and description of her case. We would like also to express our appreciation for your care and bearing our anxiety and concerns, your patience to our questions and concerns regarding our daughter condition in every time we come from Aswan to your eye clinic, and your answering our many phone calls from Aswan whenever we had questions in between examination visits. Our best thanks for the esteemed Professor Dr Khalil, whom we consider a dear friend. We pray to God for your continuous health and happiness, as you brought happiness to us and to our daughter to enjoy her childhood, and for helping us to pass times which were difficult and painful. With all appreciation and gratitude Parnts of Wessam Mostafa, Aswan

A tablet from the parents of Fajr from Saudi Arabia, who had her successful congenital glaucoma operations done by Dr Ahmad Khalil Thanks and appreciation to H. E. Dr Ahmad Khalil It is our obligateion to offer you words of Thanks and appreciation. But we stand short of being able what to write! We put a Jewl on a jewl and a ruby on a ruby to mae a chain of appreciation verses for your kind self for all what we had of your interest and care during the operations and treatment course of our daughter We wish you everlasting prosperity and progress. parents of Fajr Al-Joraibi, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Years after having her congenital glaucoma operated and treated successfully by Dr Khalil in 2003, Menna one best friend of Dr Khalil Eye Clinic, is paying a visit to her friend Ahmad Khalil with a present she carefully chose. Menna is the girl shown for many years on the site and in some publications having her eye pressure measured in Dr Khalil office while slightly under 1 year of age.