For 17-year-old Amulya, the "new beginning" of Ugadi arrived in the most literal sense. On the brink of his 12th Board exams, a rare fungal infection threatened to claim both his sight and his future. On a night meant for celebration, a team of surgeons raced against the clock and conducted a surgery that gave the youngster his vision—and his future—back.
On March 19, Amulya and his parents rushed to Manipal Hospital Whitefield in a state of quiet panic. For a week, his left eye had lost vision. The timing was cruel: his Class 12 Board exams were only days away, and he had already secured a prestigious seat at IIT. Between Amulya and his bright future stood one final academic hurdle—but everything stood still when he was diagnosed with the rare disease.
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Dr Vijay Rangachari, Consultant - ENT & Skull Base Surgery, observed that the boy was suffering something far more complicated than just a vision loss. An immediate eye evaluation revealed a sudden total absence of any vision in the left eye.
Further CT and MRI scans conducted showed that he was suffering from Aspergillus Fungal Infection in all the sinuses with extension to the base of the brain. The infection pressed directly against his left optic nerve at the orbital apex and the lateral wall of the sphenoid sinus, cutting off the nerve's function entirely. He could not see anything with his left eye, not even his hand clearly.
What is Aspergillus?
Aspergillus is a fungal lung infection caused by Aspergillus, a common mould found indoors and outdoors. It mainly affects those with weakened immune systems or lung diseases. The illness can exhibit varied symptoms, with some being more severe than others.
While most moulds are harmless, certain pathogenic strains can trigger severe illness when their microscopic spores are inhaled. For the immunocompromised, these common environmental fungi transition from a hidden presence to a life-threatening respiratory threat.
According to experts, Amulya's diagnosis was confirmed to be Invasive Fungal Sinusitis with Optic Neuropathy - a rare, aggressive, and potentially fatal condition. For those with weakened immunity, this infection spreads with terrifying speed, destroying tissue, eroding bone, and invading critical neural structures. Time plays a key role in such cases because every hour of delay may risk permanent blindness.
Hence, that same evening, Dr Rangachari and the team comprising Dr Priyamvadha K, Consultant - Neurosurgery, Dr Shalina Ray, Consultant - Ear, Nose and Throat, and Dr Jyothi Jose, Consultant - Anaesthesiology, conducted an Emergency Endoscopic Optic Nerve Decompression combined with thorough debridement of all fungal material from the sinuses and skull base.
“This was not just a surgery; it was truly a race against 2 clocks at once, where one was biological, the infection spreading by the hour, and the other was a calendar, with his Board exams just days away. Giving him back his sight and his future in the same intervention is what made this case so special, as we saw him determined to do well in his exams on the day of discharge," said Dr Vijay Rangachari.
After a four-hour surgical battle to save his sight, the result was nothing short of a miracle. By the next morning, Amulya’s vision had returned. Defying the gravity of the crisis, he was discharged within 72 hours. On March 25, 2026, less than a week after rushing to the ER, Amulya sat for his first Class 12 Board exam.