Ludhiana, May 9
Those who think that nasal polyp and sinusitis are simple problems and don’t get these removed seem to be unaware of the fact that these can lead to sudden loss of eyesight.

Stating this, Dr Manish Munjal, professor of ENT, at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, informed during past two months, as many as seven cases had to be taken up for emergency endoscopic surgery to save their vision.

He told Ludhiana Tribune that Kuldeep Singh (15) from Jagraon, Simranjeet (7) from Ludhiana, Harbans Kaur (45) from Patiala, Rajat (11) from Moga, Inder Aggarwal (55) from Sirsa (Haryana), Paramjit Kaur (50) from Ludhiana and Amar Singh (65) from Khanna, were the ones whose eyesight was saved by doing emergency surgery.

Giving information of the affected cases, Dr Munjal said, “Kuldip Singh and Harbans Kaur were neither able to count their fingers nor detect a glowing bulb. They had severe headaches and vomiting, off and on. Among most of the patients, vision had started becoming hazy to such an extent that recognition of objects and relatives was badly affected, while some others had their eyes projecting out of the eye- socket, giving them a frog like appearance. Almost all patients had big grape like fleshy swellings in nose. Some had even had pus in their sinuses, which later got oozed inside the eye socket."

Dr Munjal said the patients had to be operated on emergency basis under the magnified endoscopic visualisation done through the nose. Special care was taken so that the eyeball, muscles and the nerve did not get injured, as there would have been a permanent loss of the eyeball, squint or visual loss.

Post operation the patients regained their vision in less than 24 hours.

Elaborating further, Dr Munjal mentioned that nasal polyps were grey grape like swellings which develop in the nose, in people of all ages and genders. These cause loss of smell, nasal block, headaches, snoring, repeated sniffing, blowing of nose, coughing, reduced hearing, ear discharge and alteration in the shape of the face among growing children.

Asthma patients are known to have more severe attacks if they had associated polyps.

He cautioned that polyps, or even a single polyp could block the air containing spaces called sinuses around the eyes, leading to collection of pus or fungus which might again enter the eye socket, by eating the separating bones or communicating channels, or go inside the brain through the blood vessels.

Dr Munjal appealed people not to not waste time on oral medicines, sprays etc and undergo a thorough check-up from an ENT specialist and go for surgical removal of polyps at the earliest.