BALTIMORE
The diagnosis and management of children with glaucoma differs greatly from adults, said Anya Trumler, MD.
A comprehensive medical history and careful ophthalmic exam are required, as is a full physical assessment to determine other systemic or organ system involvement.
"There's a lot about pediatric glaucoma that isn't the same as that in adults," said Dr. Trumler, assistant professor of ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. "We like to think of kids as little adults, but they should be addressed differently."
Unfortunately, research in the arena of pediatric glaucoma is moving relatively slow, she said.
Because of the slow pace, however, a new research group known as the Congenital Glaucoma Research Network (CGRN) was recently formed, and is now establishing a database with information on children with pediatric glaucoma, Dr. Trumler said.
Pediatric glaucoma does not yet have a solid universally applied definition, and one of the goals of the CGRN is to create one for research purposes.
As it stands, pediatric glaucoma is defined as being present in children with IOP greater than 21 mm Hg, Dr. Trumler said.
"A child [suspected of having glaucoma]...