What is Mucormycosis? Know how this Black Fungus can affect your eyesight

Apart from the usual cough and fever symptoms, COVID-19 can impact your body in a profound number of ways. ‘Black fungus’ is the latest manifestations seen around in the second wave of the pandemic in India. What is black fungus? Does it affect our eyesight too?

A life-threatening infection known as mucormycosis, colloquially as a black fungus, is being detected in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat relatively frequently among COVID-19 patients. It is caused by exposure to mucor mold which is found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetable. 

“Mucormycosis is dangerous if left untreated can cause mutilating damage to face, nose, eyes with disfigurement and loss of vision and also cause invasive brain infection,” Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Consultant -Internal Medicine, Narayana Health City, Bengaluru, told news agency IANS.

The fungus affects the people who are on medication for other health problems that reduce their ability to fight environmental pathogens. Some doctors believe it may be being triggered by steroids, which are now being used to treatment for severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients. 

In Maharashtra, at least eight COVID-19 survivors have died due to mucormycosis while 200 others are being treated, said Dr Tatyarao Lahane, who heads the Directorate of Medical Education and Research of the state government.

Patients suffering from the infection typically have symptoms of a stuffy and bleeding nose, swelling of and pain in the eye, drooping of eyelids, and blurred or loss of vision. There could be black patches of skin around the nose.

As per Dr Lahane, "They survived COVID-19 but the fungal infection attacked their weakened immune system."

Warning signs and symptoms of Mucormycosis

• Pain and redness around eyes and nose
• Fever
• Headache
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Bloody vomits
• Altered mental status

When to suspect Mucormycosis

In COVID-19 patients, diabetes or immuno-suppressed individuals, one must suspect of mucormycosis if there is - 

- Sinusitis – nasal blockage or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody), local pain on the cheekbone One-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling

- Blackish discolouration over the bridge of nose/palate

- Toothache, loosening of teeth, jaw involvement

- Blurred or double vision with pain; fever, skin lesion; thrombosis & necrosis (eschar)

- Chest pain, pleural effusion, haemoptysis, worsening of respiratory symptoms

How to prevent Mucormycosis

- Use masks if you are visiting dusty construction sites

- Wear shoes, long trousers, long sleeve shirts and gloves while handling soil (gardening), moss or manure

- Maintain personal hygiene, including thorough scrub bath

The disease can be managed by controlling diabetes, discontinuing immunomodulating drugs, reducing steroids and extensive surgical debridement- to remove all necrotic materials, according to the advisory.