CHILDHOOD GLAUCOMA

BY KELLI ORDAKOWSKI

PUTTING IN EYE DROPS

• Steps For Putting In Eye Drops:

• Start by tilting your head backward while sitting, standing, or lying down. With your index finger placed on the soft spot just below the lower lid, gently pull down to form a pocket.

• Look up. Squeeze one drop into the pocket in your lower lid. Don't blink, wipe your eye, or touch the tip of the bottle on your eye or face.

• Close your eye. Keep closed for two to three minutes without blinking. Optional: Gently press on the inside corner of your closed eyes with your index finger and thumb for two to three minutes (to keep the drops from draining into your throat and getting into your system).

• Blot around your eyes to remove any excess.

Now imagine doing this with a 2, 3 or 4 year old child multiple times a day.

OBJECTIVES

• To understand what childhood glaucoma is and who it affects

• To determine what causes childhood glaucoma

• Understand treatment options

• Have a better understanding of ways to incorporate technology into your classroom for vision impaired students

• Be knowledgeable in teaching strategies for vision impaired students

• Become familiar with community resources in Maryland

WHAT IS CHILDHOOD GLAUCOMA?

Childhood Glaucoma is a rare condition which the normal fluid pressure in one or both eyes slowly rises and is not able to drain properly. The fluid builds pressure that collects and causes damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision.

STATISTICS

• Congenital Glaucoma occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 births

• 80% of childhood glaucoma sufferers are diagnosed within their first year of life

• Childhood Glaucoma affects approximately one in 2,000 children

HOW DO YOU GET CHILDHOOD GLAUCOMA?

Childhood glaucoma can be inherited which means that someone else in the family has had childhood glaucoma before. This type of childhood glaucoma is called Congenital glaucoma. It is present at birth as is caused by abnormal eye development in utero.

You can also develop childhood glaucoma from other types of ocular diseases or from trauma to the eye.

Childhood glaucoma can present in one or both eyes.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CHILDHOOD GLAUCOMA?

• Excessive Tearing

• Closure of one or both eyes in the light

• Cloudy, enlarged cornea

• Light sensitivity

• Vision Loss

It is important to keep in mind that many times there are no outward symptoms of childhood glaucoma unless it is due to heredity.

HOW DO CHILDREN SEE WHO HAVE GLAUCOMA?

Normal childhood vision

Children with glaucoma

TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Currently there are two treatment options available for children with glaucoma.

Eye Drops are the least invasive type of treatment. These eye drops are to help decrease the pressure building up inside the eye before the optic nerve becomes damaged.

Surgery is the second option. There are many types of surgical procedures one can have done to help drain the eye or to help the eye to produce less fluid.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE VISION IMPAIRED STUDENT

There are many types of technology that can be used in the classroom for a vision impaired student.

Kurzweill

Apps for the Ipad

Speech Recognition Programs

Refreshable Braille Display

Screen Readers

Magnifiers/Screen Enlargers

Talking Calculators

TEACHING STRATEGIES

There are many different teaching strategies that can be used with children who have childhood glaucoma. It is really going to depend on how much vision is impacted and each student will be different. Teachers should observe the student and use the vision teacher as a resource. Some strategies that can be used are: Standing close, over verbalizing directions and encouraging tactile exploration. Teachers should provide manipulatives when appropriate. Using a slant board to reduce glare can be very beneficial to some students. Having contrasting colors when using a worksheet, making the print large and allowing the students access to braille if need are also great strategies. The most important thing as an educator you can do is to set expectations high! Setting the bar high at the beginning enables the student to reach up and grow!

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

There are many great community resources available in Maryland.

Maryland School for the Blind www.mdschblind.org 410.444.5000

Wilmer Eye Institute John’s Hopkins www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer/ 410.955.5080

National Federation for the Blind www.nfb.org 410.645.0632

ALL SENSORY TRAIL FOR VISION IMPAIRED CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN ANNE ARUNDEL

COUNTY

Join us at Lake Waterford Park in Pasadena, MD

830 Pasadena Road Pasadena, MD

www.youtube.com/watch?v=da_RbOYHgPc&sns=em

STOP AND THINK!

Do you know anyone who has childhood glaucoma? Are there any students in your school system that are suffering from this condition? What are some things as an educator that you could do to help this student?

REFERENCES

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (2012). Glaucoma for Children. Retrieved from www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/55

Anderson, D. (2009). The optic nerve in glaucoma (15ed., Ch. 48). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

Drager, J. (1988). Classification and therapy of glaucoma in childhood. Fortchritte der Opthalmologie, 85 (1), 63-69.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (1996-2014). Childhood Glaucoma. Retrieved from www.chop.edu/healthinfo/childhood-glaucoma.html

The Glaucoma Foundation (2014). Childhood Glaucoma. Retrieved from www.glaucomafoundation.org/childhood-glaucoma.html