Ocular Genetics and Genetic Eye Research in the Philippines

The Philippines as a developing nation, endures a complex and fragmented healthcare system mainly due to geographical and financial discrepancies, along with a lack of healthcare professionals. Due to these compounding factors, emphasis in healthcare has been directed to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, which are infectious, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases. Genetics, which is widely viewed as new and costly, has been given limited attention. However, despite multiple challenges, the past few years showed increasing interest in ocular genetics in the Philippines, driven by advancement of the field through gene discovery and gene therapy locally and in other parts of the world. With this chapter, we aim to summarize and highlight current research and developments in the field of ocular genetics in the Philippines.