Arab mediaeval physicians/philosophers have contributed immensely to our early knowledge of glaucoma.
They introduced the term zarqaa (derived from azraq, the word for blue in Arabic) to the condition which we now call glaucoma, a Greek term, which means greenish. The disease is even now called maa' (water)- or nuzool-azraq or nuzool aswad (black) in Arabian populations.
The origin of the term zarqaa is not entirely clear. The nonspecific word zarqaa was translated by some as viriditate oculi (green). Did this translation result from the blue-green ambiguity present in many languages, or was the translation influenced by observations by oculists and physicians? The answer remains unknown. However, there a few theories which point towards a possible explanation.
It was observed that patients suffering from glaucoma had dilated pupils which caused the lens to become more prominent. This greenish blue hue of the lens could have led to the condition being diagnosed as zarqaa. It could also imply the color of the iris seen in some populations. According to some accounts the Arab and European (specially Roman) conflicts led to the antagonism of Arabs for the blue green eyes of the Europeans. This could have led to using their eye color with a negative perception in their writings.
Al-tabbari (916-986) was one of the first to diagnose glaucoma based on the raised eye pressure in those patients. See link for post on Tabari:
https://ourgsc.blogspot.com/2019/05/abu-al-hasan-ali-ibn-sahl-rabbani-al.html
Abu Ali al-Husain Ibn Sina (c. 980–1037 AD), a Persian also known as Avicenna, believed the zarqaa pupillary hue could be associated with anterior prominence of the lens (or a forward displacement of the lens) and could occur in an acquired (pathologic) manner. It is amazing that the modern pathophysiology of closed angle glaucoma has been described based on the position of the lens. Ibn Sina explained hardening of the eye in zarqaa due to the intraocular humor thickening or coagulating, leading to the lenses being more difficult to displace. He and other authors diagnosed eye hardness through palpation. Ibn Sina mentioned a grave prognosis when the lens could not be moved around in the eye. According to him surgery in such a case has poor visual outcomes.
Some authors have mentioned that the Quranic verses also point to blue eyed people being sent to the hell fire during Qayamat (Day of judgement). Allah knows best.
https://www.dovepress.com/article/supplementary_file/77471/77471.pdf
Jacques Guillemeau (1550–1613) of France cited Ibn Sina and wrote that glaucoma, or viriditas oculi, was incurable, and involved a dry, thick, and green lens.
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