A 57-year-old Filipina expat from Sharjah narrowly avoided permanent blindness after a large tumor in her eye was discovered and successfully removed. The woman, who had been experiencing vision loss and heaviness in her right eye for nearly a month, sought medical help from an ophthalmologist at Medcare Hospital Sharjah. Following a referral to an Oculoplasty and Orbit Surgery specialist, doctors found a tumor measuring 35×30 mm—larger than her 24 mm eyeball.
The complex and delicate surgery, led by Dr. Fairooz P.M., a specialist in Oculoplastic Surgery and Eye Cancer, took over an hour to complete. The tumor, identified as a cavernous hemangioma—a benign vascular tumor—was compressing the patient’s optic nerve, causing significant vision impairment. The tumor, although non-cancerous, posed a serious threat due to its location near the optic nerve, risking complete blindness if left untreated.
Dr. Fairooz explained, “This was a high-risk procedure, as the tumor was pressing on the optic nerve. The surgery required extreme precision to ensure the nerve was protected and the patient’s vision restored.”
An MRI and CT scan confirmed the presence of the tumor, which had caused the patient’s eye to protrude noticeably. The surgery, reportedly the first of its kind at Medcare’s Oculoplasty and Orbit Surgery department, used a minimally invasive approach to successfully remove the mass without further damage to the optic nerve.
Cavernous hemangiomas, while typically slow-growing and painless, can become dangerous when situated near critical structures like the optic nerve. In this case, the tumor’s compression of the nerve had already led to vision loss, making the surgery an urgent necessity.
Following the operation, the patient’s vision was fully restored, and her recovery has been described as excellent. Dr. Fairooz praised the multidisciplinary team effort that contributed to the surgery’s success, stating, “We are extremely pleased with the outcome. The patient has fully recovered, and her vision is back to normal.”