Children and adolescents with glaucoma develop high levels of emotional and social resilience to cope, a small Australian study revealed.   

Flinders University researchers interviewed 18 young people about the condition’s visual and non-visual challenges, reporting that adolescents worry about how glaucoma will impact their career choices, getting a driver’s licence and navigating adult eyecare without their parent or guardian. “Attending multiple appointments and missing school can be tough for children because their peers may not understand what they are going through,” said orthoptist and lead researcher Lachlan Knight, who encouraged clinicians to provide children with an active voice in their care and direct questions towards them instead of their parent or guardian.  

Although glaucoma affects approximately 1 in 30,000 children in Australia, it contributes to about 7% of childhood vision impairment worldwide. The study informed what researchers said will be the world’s first quality of life measure for individuals with childhood glaucoma.  

The study is published in BMJ Open.