What is congenital glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disorder in which increased pressure develops inside the eyeball. The eye normally produces a clear fluid known as aqueous humor that continuously flows through its chambers delivering nutrients. The aqueous humor drains out of the eye through a special channel called the anterior chamber or iridocorneal angle. If this channel is blocked, the outflow of aqueous humor is impeded, resulting in glaucoma. By and large, glaucoma is an adult disease. In rare cases, however, it is congenital, which means that it is present at birth or becomes apparent in the first few months of life. This type of glaucoma is also known as infantile glaucoma, buphthalmos, or hydrophthalmos.
