Bilateral consecutive blindness due to sphenoid sinus mucocele with unilateral partial recovery.

BACKGROUND: We present an interventional case report of a rare occurrence of sphenoid sinus mucocele causing bilateral consecutive blindness with unilateral partial recovery after endoscopic surgery.

METHODS: A 64-year-old woman with known sphenoid sinus mucocele and right blindness was referred because of an acute drop of vision to hand motion in her only-seeing left eye over 5 days. Imaging revealed a large mucocele enlarging the sphenoid sinus, eroding the base of the skull, protruding into the cranial cavity, and compressing the left optic nerve.

RESULTS: Urgent endoscopic sphenoidotomy was performed. Several hours after the procedure, visual acuity was partially recovered in the left eye.

INTERPRETATION: Sphenoid sinus mucoceles can cause bilateral blindness. A high index of suspicion and urgent imaging studies are necessary. Because visual recovery depends on prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention, a close collaboration between otolaryngologists and ophthalmologists is crucial.