Sickle Cell Disease Can Cause Sudden Painless Vision Loss

Sickle cell disease is the most common cause of sudden and painless vision loss in Nigeria. One such incidence is described below:

Mr. Kokumo was driving his car with his friend Tanko on the way to Lagos. Suddenly Mr. Kokumo shouts at his friend that he could not see anything on his right side. Even he was not able to see his friend sitting beside him. His friend Tanko could recall his school friend Bamidele who had similar experience during his school days. Bamidele was taken to the hospital where the doctor asked him to take patience as this is the only treatment of the problem. It can be added that both Bamidele and Kokumo have the same problem, Sickle Cell Disease. It can be added that vision in his right eye was restored within a month but it took more than six months for the left eye to regain some vision. This is the highest cause of sudden and painless vision loss in Nigeria. The disease can take vision loss even in the physically fit and fine person. A great similarity between both the people is that, none of them had suffered from any common sickle cell signs like bone pains.

This was the same case with the 70 year old man who experienced vision loss in the same way. A cocoa pod fell on his head while he was on his farm. On the third day after the incident, he lost his vision. And months after that he was taken to the hospital to identify that he was suffering from Sickle cell disease.

But for now, there is an answer to the problem. A surgical treatment called vitrectomy is able to remove the blood in the vitreous. So far, there had been no treatment for the disease. However the treatment is not established yet. The research is going on.