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Published March 19, 2025 8:05pm
Maureen Larrazabal shared that she went blind for two years after she slept with her contact lenses in, which caused her to cut open her cornea. Her cornea then got infected by bacteria, so much so that she had to get a corneal transplant.
The "Pepito Manaloto" star recalled her eye injury in "Lutong Bahay" Wednesday with Mikee Quintos and Kuya Dudut.
"Nabulag din ako. Bulag ako, two years. Natulog ako nang may contact lens, tapos tumitigas 'yun 'di ba kapag hindi ka nag-drops. Na-slit open ko 'yung cornea, pinasukan ng Pseudomonas, so pumasok siya sa mata," said Maureen.
"Pagpasok sa mata ko, few hours lang, that bacteria will melt your eye in 24 hours, ganun siya katindi," she added.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pseudomonas is a group of bacteria; the most common kind that causes infections in humans is called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa can spread through exposure to soil or water, person-to-person contact, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Meanwhile, WebMD said that symptoms of a P. aeruginosa infection depend on which part of the body is infected. For the eyes, symptoms include pain, redness, and swelling.
Maureen shared that she was in Hong Kong when this happened and she immediately went to a hospital upon arriving in the Philippines.
"Pagdating dito, diretso ako ng Makati Med. Pag-open nila puro pus tapos wala na, wala na siyang itim," she said.
She noted that she had to undergo a corneal transplant for her eye to heal, adding that this was during the time she was part of "Kool Ka Lang" on GMA Network, which ran from the late '90s to the early aughts.
"Kaya very grateful ako sa GMA, alam mo kung bakit? Kasi during that time hindi nila ako tinanggalan ng show. May pinagdaanan ako pero I have something to look forward to kasi every week pumapasok ako na naka-shades."
On Instagram in December 2023, Maureen shared about her corneal donor and her doctor, Dr. Minguita Padilla, who performed her transplant.
"Not all angels have wings, some have invisible halos, like the one who donated to me my cornea and to Dra Minguita Padilla the one responsible for my successful corneal transplant decades ago," she wrote in the caption.
Catch "Lutong Bahay" on weekdays at 5:45 p.m. on GTV.
— CDC, GMA Integrated News
