Glaucoma, a major eye
disease that gradually steals vision, is ceaselessly lurking as every injury or
damage to the eye can potentially cause a lifetime of blindness.
Among the many risk
factors of Glaucoma, the country’s number one cause of blindness, previous eye
injury cannot be underestimated.
While most eye injuries
can be given proper treatment, the risk of glaucoma may persist. Glaucoma may
not be contracted immediately after an injury. It can develop over time,
according to the Philippine Glaucoma Society (PGS), the organization of the country’s
leading eye experts on glaucoma.
“The Philippine
Glaucoma Society with Allergan is fighting to rid the country of this dreadful
disease. Eye injury like many other glaucoma risk factors is not to be taken
too lightly. It may cause the onset of a specific but equally damaging type of
glaucoma, which is Traumatic Glaucoma,” said Dr. Biboy Martinez, PGS vice president.
A previous eye injury
may damage the drainage channels of the eye causing increased eye pressure,
this elevated pressure may then cause damage to the optic nerve causing
glaucoma.
Traumatic glaucoma is
usually cause by blunt trauma, which could either be a direct blow to the head
or a direct injury to the eye.
