Congenital glaucoma disease leads to blindness if left untreated. It is estimated that 1 child in 10,000 in Germany is born with congenital glaucoma. In adults the disease develops slowly and insidiously, whereas congenital glaucoma leads to a rapid growth of the eye (buphthalmos) mostly directly after birth due to a very high intraocular pressure. The cause is dysgenesis of the iridocorneal angle. Successful operative treatment of congenital glaucoma is possible in the majority of cases (approximately 80-90%). The treatment of childhood glaucoma is primarily surgical. Since 1960 classical probe trabeculotomy has been the most commonly used procedure, which has the advantage that unlike goniotomy, it can also be performed in cases with clouding of the cornea. In this surgery the canal of Schlemm is probed and the inner wall as well as the trabecular meshwork is opened inwardly over approximately 120°. In recent years the 360° trabeculotomy procedure has become established, in which an illuminated catheter filled with viscoelastic material is used (as with conventional canaloplasty) to dilate the canal of Schlemm. The trabecular meshwork is then inwardly opened by pulling on the ends of the catheter. The results of this method are explained in this article.
Keywords: Blindness; Canal of Schlemm; Congenital glaucoma; Prevalence; Probe trabeculotomy.