Eye Black Fungus: Symptoms, Risks & When to See a Doctor

Medically Reviewed

Written by Pooja Rawat, Medical Content Writer

Symptoms like eye swelling, vision loss or double vision, facial pain, sudden vision changes, double vision, or difficulty controlling eye movements or smiling (especially in case of diabetes or a weakened immune system) should not be waited to settle on their own. 

These can be warning signs of rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis, a rare but serious fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. It can spread from the sinuses to the tissues around the eye and, in severe cases, the brain. Therefore, early medical assessment is important because it can progress quickly and usually requires antifungal treatment and sometimes surgery.

Note: “black fungus” is a common name for mucormycosis, but it is not a virus. So, searches such as “black fungal virus symptoms” can be misleading. Mucormycosis is caused by fungi known as mucormycetes.

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What Is Black Fungal Disease?

Mucormycosis is a rare but concerning and often fatal fungal infection that can affect many parts of your body. It is caused by many types of fungi called mucormycetes, which are commonly found in the environment, including soil, decaying leaves, compost, and other organic material.

Black fungal disease is also known as: 

Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) or, more briefly, rhinocerebral mucormycosis. Mucormycosis, sometimes called zygomycosis

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Black Fungal Symptoms (Mucormycosis)

The symptoms of black fungal infection depend on where in your body the infection is. 

Symptoms may be present in the nose, lungs, digestive tract, around your eyes, or skin.

Additionally, symptoms such as headache, fever, and nasal congestion are common in several other conditions.

When the Symptoms Get Concerning

The concern becomes greater when symptoms are one-sided, rapidly worsening, or linked to eye or neurological changes.

Why can mucormycosis affect the eye?

Black fungal infection can enter blood vessels. This process, known as angioinvasion, can lower blood supply, causing tissue injury or necrosis. 

Because the sinuses sit close to the orbit, an infection that starts in the nasal or sinus region can extend into the tissues surrounding the eye.

That’s why new eye symptoms occurring together with sinus or facial symptoms need urgent attention.

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Eye Black Fungus Symptoms: Notice These Changes Around the Eye?

When rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis spreads from the sinuses into the orbit, symptoms can become more noticeable.

Here are the common eye-related black fungal symptoms:

• Swelling around the eyes
• Redness of the eye
• Eye pain
• Excessive watering
• Black tears or pus draining from the eyes
• Blurred or reduced vision
• Double vision
• Bulging eyes (proptosis)
• Difficulty controlling eye movements or smiling
• Drooping eyelid or abnormal eye movements
• Facial numbness
• Rapidly worsening visual symptoms

Rapid vision loss is an important warning sign.

The combination of sinus symptoms + facial swelling + eye symptoms is particularly crucial in individuals with diabetes or significant immunosuppression.

Keep in Mind

Vision changes should not be assumed as “just sinusitis,” especially in someone with diabetes, recent severe illness, immunosuppression (a reduction in the activation of the immune system), or corticosteroid exposure.

Mucormycosis Is Not Limited to the Nose & Eye | Here Are More Symptoms

It can affect different parts of the body.

Risk Factors for Eye Black Fungus

People with weakened immune systems are most at risk for mucormycosis.

Higher-risk groups include:

• Diabetes, especially with hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis.
• Solid organ transplant.
• Bone marrow transplant.
• Low neutrophil count.
• Leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma.
• Long-term corticosteroid use.
• Nonmedical injection drug use.
• Hemochromatosis.
• Burns or traumatic skin injury.
• Being born prematurely or with low birth weight.

How Is Black Fungal Infection Diagnosed?

Doctors may use a combination of the following tests for accurate diagnosis. Just by looking at symptoms, the infection cannot be reliably diagnosed.

• Clinical examination

Includes examination of the nose, sinuses, face and eyes.

• Nasal or sinus endoscopy

When appropriate, to examine suspicious tissue.

• Imaging (CT or MRI)

Help determine the extent of sinus, orbital, or brain involvement.

• Biopsy & laboratory testing

Tissue can be examined under a microscope and tested for fungal infection.

• Fungal culture or other laboratory methods

Help identify the organism.

What is the Treatment for Eye Black Fungus

Antifungal medications are required to treat mucormycosis. Sometimes surgery may be recommended to cut and remove infected tissues.

Person need antifungal treatment for several weeks or months.

Treatment can include:

• Antifungal medication, commonly liposomal amphotericin B in serious disease
• Surgical removal of infected or dead tissue when necessary
• Correction of underlying risk factors, such as uncontrolled blood glucose
• Management of the patient’s immune or metabolic condition

When Should You See a Doctor?

Go to an emergency department urgently if you develop:

• Sudden or rapidly worsening vision loss
• Double vision with eye swelling
• A bulging eye
• Severe eye or facial pain
• Trouble moving the eye
• New facial numbness
• Black discoloration or rapidly worsening tissue around the nose or palate
• Confusion, seizures, or other neurological changes
• Rapidly worsening symptoms involving one side of the face