How to Pronounce Congenital Glaucoma

Say it like this: kon-JEN-ih-tal glaw-KOH-mah. The first word sounds like "con" (rhymes with "on") plus "JEN" (rhymes with "hen") plus "ih" plus "tal." The second word sounds like "glaw" (rhymes with "law") plus "KOH" (rhymes with "go") plus "mah" (rhymes with "ma"). The stress falls on the second syllable of the first word: JEN.

The stress is on the JEN syllable in 'congenital': kon-JEN-ih-tal. A common mistake is putting the stress on the first syllable (CON-jen-ih-tal) or the last syllable (kon-jen-ih-TAL), but the correct stress is in the middle. In 'glaucoma,' the stress is on the KOH syllable: glaw-KOH-mah.

The first word breaks into four syllables: con-gen-i-tal. The second word breaks into three syllables: glau-co-ma. When you say them together, it sounds like: kon-JEN-ih-tal glaw-KOH-mah.

The word 'congenital' comes from Latin and means something you are born with or that develops from birth. 'Glaucoma' comes from a Greek word meaning a gray or greenish-blue color, because the condition can make the eye appear cloudy. Together, 'congenital glaucoma' literally means a gray eye condition that is present from birth.

In simpler terms, it's a rare eye problem that babies are born with or develop when they are very young. The fluid inside the eye cannot drain properly, which causes pressure to build up inside the eye.

Other words with 'congenital' include congenital heart disease, congenital cataracts, and congenital deafness. All of these use 'congenital' to mean something that a person has from birth or early infancy, not something they develop later in life.

Here's an example: "The doctor explained to the parents that congenital glaucoma is a condition present at birth that affects how fluid drains from the eye." This sentence uses the term correctly to describe the condition in a medical context.

Yes, doctors sometimes write it as CG as shorthand. You would just say the letters out loud: C-G. However, in most conversations, people spell out the full term 'congenital glaucoma' to be clear.