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A medical group said Tuesday that the third leading cause of
bilateral blindness in the Philippines today is glaucoma.
Philippine Glaucoma Society (PGS) board member
Marge Luna said that the Co-Investigator of the Third National
Blindness Survey, Dr. Leo Cubillan, conducted a survey in 2000 which
showed that the top three causes of bilateral blindness is cataract,
error of refraction and glaucoma.
“But the two are either reversible or curable.
Glaucoma, on the other hand, is an irreversible eye problem, which
if not treated, will lead to blindness,” she said.
Glaucoma, according to the website
www.stlukeseye.com, “is a disease caused by increased intraocular
pressure (IOP) resulting either from a malformation or malfunction
of the eye’s drainage structures. Left untreated, an elevated IOP
causes irreversible damage to the optic nerve and retinal fibers
resulting in a progressive permanent loss of vision.”
Although glaucoma is the country’s third
leading cause of blindness, there are only 34 glaucoma specialists
in the country, with 31 of them based in Manila.
PGS President Norman Aquino said that the
illness, classically described as a “thief in the night,” can
afflict anyone. “From a newborn child to a grown-up, no one is
safe from glaucoma,” he explained.
Luna said that at the Philippine General
Hospital alone, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Annual Report for 2007 tallied a total of 9,140 glaucoma patients.
Although everyone can acquire glaucoma, PGS
research showed that those with eye problems have the highest
percentage of having glaucoma with 63 percent. Next are those with a
family history of the disease with 60 percent; people with high
blood pressure with 57 percent; and having Chinese or African
descent with 55 percent.
Aquino said glaucoma usually affects adults 50
years old and above.
While there is no cure for glaucoma, Aquino said
the disease could be managed by reducing eye pressure through
surgery, laser treatment or drugs.
-- Ruben D. Manahan 4th
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