A Sharjah resident who went blind because of a cyst in his brain is now able to see normally again after an operation in a Dubai hospital.
Emad Arif Khan, 30, a real estate consultant from Pakistan, suffered the sudden loss of vision in both eyes because the cyst compressed areas of his brain linked to sight.
At risk of permanent blindness, the real estate consultant underwent brain surgery to drain the cyst at Aster Hospital Mankhool in Dubai and has said he is now “completely recovered”, with his vision returned to normal.
“When my vision loss occurred suddenly, it was a frightening experience that deeply worried me and my family,” he said. “Even simple daily tasks became difficult. By the grace of God, I have completely recovered and my vision has been fully restored.”
What was the problem?
The cyst that had caused the problems was a type of arachnoid cyst. These are benign fluid-filled sacs that grow on the brain or the spinal cord and are normally present from birth.
They are detected in fewer than two per cent of brain MRI scans, and in nine out of 10 cases they cause no symptoms and do not require treatment. However, in rare cases, when a cyst is large or is changing, it may need to be drained or removed.
In Mr Khan’s case, the cyst was causing what the hospital described as “dangerously elevated” pressure within the skull, creating “a true medical emergency” by compressing areas of the brain involved in vision.
Shortly after recovering from a bout of flu, Mr Khan had begun to suffer pain when he moved his eyes, had persistent headaches and his vision became blurred. He went to another medical centre and was prescribed eye drops, but these did not resolve the problems, and his vision worsened, making it difficult for him to read or write, work or do routine household activities.
What was the solution?
After Mr Khan went to the ophthalmology department at Aster Hospital Mankhool, Dr Parth Joshi, a specialist ophthalmologist, diagnosed swelling of the optic nerves, a condition known as papilledema.
An MRI scan showed up the large arachnoid cyst, along with a smaller cyst near a part of the brain at the back of the head called the cerebellum. Surgery, led by Dr Prakash Nair, a consultant neurosurgeon, was carried out on the left side of the skull to drain the cyst. When the cyst was biopsied it was found to be non-cancerous.
After the operation, Mr Khan had temporary speech problems and underwent rehabilitation, including physiotherapy. The cyst was much reduced in size and his brain had re-expanded, CT and MRI scans showed.
By the time he was discharged in June last year has vision was much improved, and it has subsequently recovered completely. He no longer has headaches, can carry out tasks normally and even recently travelled to his home country. His life is back to normal.
“Early recognition of papilledema and urgent ophthalmic evaluation were key in identifying the underlying cause of Mr Khan's sudden vision loss,” Dr Joshi said. Dr Nair said that just three to four per cent of patients with arachnoid cysts need surgery, making Mr Khan’s case “exceptionally rare”.
“Swift diagnosis and immediate surgical intervention were critical to saving Mr Khan's vision,” he said.
Mr Khan said he was “sincerely thankful” to both doctors, to the “dedicated nursing team” and to other staff at the hospital.
