Aster restores vision of Pakistani real estate agent

In a rare and complex medical case, Aster Hospital Mankhool successfully performed emergency brain surgery to restore the vision of Emad Arif Khan, a 30-year-old Pakistani real estate consultant, currently residing in Sharjah, who arrived at the hospital with sudden loss of vision in both eyes.

In this case, the patient’s sudden blindness was caused by a rare brain cyst (large arachnoid cyst) creating dangerously elevated intracranial pressure, which compressed the areas of the brain responsible for vision, a true medical emergency.

Until then, Emad had been healthy, independent, and able to perform all his daily activities, including driving.

Two weeks prior to seeking medical attention, Emad had recovered from a flu.

Soon after, he began experiencing pain during eye movements, persistent frontal headaches, and gradually worsening blurred vision.

Initially evaluated at another clinic and prescribed eye drops, his vision continued to deteriorate, making routine tasks such as reading, writing, managing household activities, and performing work increasingly difficult.

Concerned about his rapidly declining vision, he approached the ophthalmology department at Aster Hospital Mankhool.

Dr. Parth Joshi, Specialist Ophthalmologist at Aster Hospital Mankhool immediately identified papilledema, swelling of the optic nerves, indicating dangerously elevated intracranial pressure.

An urgent MRI revealed a large arachnoid cyst pressing on areas of the brain responsible for vision, along with a smaller cyst near the cerebellum.

While arachnoid cysts themselves are not uncommon, occurring in approximately 1.4% of patients undergoing brain MRI, they are usually asymptomatic and rarely require surgery.More than 90% of arachnoid cysts are asymptomatic, affecting males 2–4 times more than females, most commonly diagnosed in childhood below 10 years, and often located in the middle part of the skull (50–60%). Arachnoid cysts causing sudden vision problems in adults are extremely rare.

Recognising the critical risk of permanent blindness, the neurosurgery team, led by Dr. Prakash Nair, Consultant Neurosurgeon, recommended immediate surgery.

Dr. Nair performed surgery on the left side of the skull to open the cyst and relieve pressure inside the brain. The cyst was carefully drained, and a biopsy confirmed that it was benign.

Following surgery, Emad experienced temporary speech difficulty, a known effect of pressure changes in the brain, but he had no facial weakness, limb weakness, or seizures. Hospital care included early physiotherapy, DVT prevention, feeding support, and wound management, including the healing of a temporary fluid buildup under the scalp.