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Treatment for childhood glaucoma varies depending on the age of the child and severity of the disease. Treatment options include medications, laser surgery or filtering surgery.Most people with glaucoma can be treated successfully with eye drops. In the past, eye drops for glaucoma caused blurring of vision, but most eye drops used today have few side effects. Your doctor will look at your medical history and determine the best drops for you. You may need more than one type of drop. Some patients may also be treated with pills to lower pressure in the eye. Newer drops and pills are being developed that directly protect the optic nerve from glaucoma damage.Between July 1994 and August 1999, 1696 new patients were seen in a glaucoma screening clinic and a diagnosis of chronic open-angle glaucoma was made in 250. Twenty-nine patients who presented with bilateral advanced atrophy of the optic disc and extensive visual field loss were not included in the study. Each patient underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination by a glaucoma specialist and Humphrey visual field analysis.
All adults over the age of 40 are screened at routine visits to the optician. Immediate relatives of chronic glaucoma sufferers, (children, parents and siblings) need regular eye examinations to screen for early glaucoma and these are free after the age of 40.Acute glaucoma is a medical emergency. A precipitous rise in pressure occurs when the trabecular meshwork suddenly becomes occluded (blocked). This is treated surgically to remove the cause of the obstruction. Acute glaucoma is extremely painful. Treatment is required urgently since damage to the optic nerve begins within hours of onset.Doctors often recommend laser surgery before filtering microsurgery, unless the eye pressure is very high or the optic nerve is badly damaged. During laser surgery, a tiny but powerful beam of light is used to make several small scars in the eye’s trabecular meshwork (the eye’s drainage system). The scars help increase the flow of fluid out of the eye.