Got itchy eyes? Rush for a brain scan

Redness in eye could be more than conjunctivitis

Got itchy eyes? Rush for a brain scan

Redness in eye could be more than conjunctivitis

As is commonly done, 75-year-old Anand Kumar Sood attributed the redness in his eyes to the change in weather conditions.

Relieved:u00a0AK Sood, at his officeu00a0 in Okhla Phase-1 in New Delhi on
Monday. Pic/Subhash Barolia

The arrival of monsoon convinced him that he was suffering from conjunctivitis. However, as the itching and discomfort refused to subside, Sood decided to consult an eye surgeon. To his horror, he found that a vein and an artery had fused at the base of his brain to form a fistula.

The condition, mostly mistaken for a case of conjunctivitis or eye infection, is generally ignored. The only treatment is an immediate surgery, before the condition, which might be fatal, worsens.

"It all started with a painless redness in the eye that persisted for 15 days. My eye became swollen and the eye surgeon advised me to consult a neurosurgeon," said Sood.

"There have been many cases wherein patients confuse a brain-related problem with eye or ENT infection. Many undergo wrong treatment due to wrong diagnosis, worsening the case. People should not underestimate eye problems, especially when it is persistent," said Dr Harish Rastogi, senior consultant, Radiology and Interventional Neuroradiology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Although a rare condition, a fistula at the base of brain is a delicate problem that requires angiographic surgery.

Rare affair
"A trauma to the skull, due to an accident or injury, generally leads to formation of a fistula. It, however, rarely forms at the base of the brain. The technology required to treat such cases, or Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) facilities, are not commonly available.

In my entire career, I have attended to only three such cases this patient was the eldest among them. Any delay would have led to bleeding inside the brain, causing vision loss or paralysis. It might even have been fatal," added Dr Rastogi.u00a0

The four-hour-long operation finally put to rest all of Sood's worries. "My eyes are perfectly normal now and I am no facing any problem after the operation," he said.