Factory Worker Goes Blind After ‘Bagoong,’ A Filipino Seafood Paste, Gets Into His Eye

A Filipino factory worker lost his vision in one eye after “bagoong,” a famous condiment in the Philippines, got into it.

Jerry Caguioa, 22, was working at a bagoong factory in the Philippine province of Nueva Ecija on March 15 when his left eye came into direct contact with the fermented seafood paste.

Caguioa said he initially felt a smarting pain in his left eye before later losing his vision in that eye.

“My eye was very painful. After [it came into contact with the paste], I washed it. But I rubbed it first before I washed it because it was very painful,” he told GMA Regional TV’s “One North Central Luzon” Tuesday.

The worker admitted that he lost confidence in himself following the incident, which resulted in him having to wear sunglasses regularly.

Caguioa said he does not have enough money to visit a hospital for a check-up or to undergo surgery for his left eye.

“I don’t see anything now. It is difficult to accept that one of my eyes will be removed,” Caguioa added.

Caguioa’s mother, Geraldine, is seeking financial support to fund her son’s eye surgery.

“It’s painful for a parent. We need help for my son,” she said.

An ophthalmologist said such an incident is considered an eye emergency.

“Of course, it’s dirty, isn’t it? So it can cause an eye infection,” Dr. Charisse Sanchez-Tanlapco told the news outlet, referring to the bagoong.

“Then when the infection worsens, it can become severe. It can cause blindness,” she added.

The eye doctor reminded the public to always wear protective gear when performing activities that would affect the eyes.

Bagoong is a fermented seafood paste made from either shrimp or fish with salt.

It is best paired with kare-kare, a traditional Filipino stew that is among Taste Atlas‘ best-rated stews in the world.

The condiment is so widely known in the Philippines that a province in the northern part of the country celebrated a festival dedicated to bagoong.