Covid-19: Many losing eyesight due to black fungus in Maharashtra

NAGPUR: Eye surgeons treating cases of mucormycosis are also having to take tough decision to remove the patient’s eye to save the life. Most of the times removing one eye is enough, but in some cases both had to be extracted, said doctors TOI spoke to.
This is a fallout of late reporting due to ignoring early symptoms. Shortage of Amphotericin B, the drug for treating the infection, is also worsening the cases, said doctors.

Even as official estimates are being done, according to ballpark estimates eye removal may have happened in 75 cases, said those dealing with the disease. On the brighter side, cases of mucormycosis are falling along with decline in Covid-19 cases, said a source.

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection which has emerged as post Covid complication. It affects tooth, sinus and eye. Involvement of eye is an advanced stage after which it can affect the central nervous system, thus threatening life.
Exenteration — as it is called in medical terms — is complete removal of eye leaving a hollow. The disfigurement is managed by cosmetic procedure.
Mucormycosis can lead to vision impairment, but not all cases may need removal of eye. The extraction is needed when there is a threat to nervous system which ultimately risks life, said doctors.
Treating the disease involves dental, ENT and eye surgeons. These doctors had met the district collector last week and it has been decided to collect data about the disease. “This will cover the details of all the procedures done, including eye exenteration,” said Dr Mohana Majumdar, president of Nagpur Ophthalmologists’ Society.

Dr Ashish Thool of Vidarbha level body said that it’s a team work by three surgeons and decision on eye is the last resort.
TOI talked to some of the doctors who said eye removal had to be done in almost 10% of patients where eye involvement was found.
Dr Ashish Kamble of Kingsway Hospitals said he has come across 30 cases of patients having eye involvement. “Out of these, extraction has happened in three cases.
Kamble explained that the eye structure can be saved even if the vision is gone, but removal is needed if it threatens the brain.
“It is also difficult to convince the families, some of the patients were young,” said Dr Kamble.
Another doctor who has carried out more than 30 eye removal said that almost 10% of eye involvement patients had to go through the surgery. “Eye removal has to be done because no operation of the skull is possible in the infection,” said the doctor requesting anonymity.