Farmers Pull 11 Worms From Eyes
A 71-year-old South Korean man had pregnant parasites removed from his eyes after two months of irritation.
By Harper Hassan ·
Eleven live worms were removed from a man’s eyes in South Korea.
A 71-year-old crop farmer reported a foreign body sensation in both eyes for two months. His vision became blurry and his eyes turned red. He visited an eye clinic where ophthalmologists examined him. They saw multiple mobile, whitish roundworms inside his eyes. The conjunctiva, the membrane covering the eye, showed enlarged blood vessels. The cornea, the transparent outer layer, had eroded.
Doctors applied a topical numbing agent to the man’s eyes. They used fine forceps to extract the parasites one by one. The team collected 11 adult worms. Each worm measured between 11 and 22 millimeters in length. Many of the female worms were pregnant at the time of removal. The doctors acted before the larvae could hatch inside the man’s eyes.
Microscopic analysis identified the parasites as Thelazia callipaeda nematodes. These worms are widespread across Asia and have also established populations in parts of Europe. They primarily infect the eyes of cats and dogs. Humans can contract the infection inadvertently. The case report was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Source: Ars Technica
