Farmer loses sight to 11 eye worms

A 71-year-old crop farmer in South Korea spent two months battling a foreign body sensation in both eyes before ophthalmologists extracted 11 living nematodes from his conjunctiva. The removal occurred just before the female parasites would have released living larvae directly into his ocular tissue.

The patient reported redness, blurry vision, and the persistent feeling that debris was lodged in his eyes. Clinical examination revealed multiple mobile, whitish roundworms. The infection had caused visible damage, including enlarged blood vessels in the conjunctiva and erosion of the corneal cells, likely resulting from the movement and mating activity of the parasites.

Physicians administered a topical anesthetic to numb the area and used fine forceps to remove the organisms one by one. The collected adult worms measured between 11 and 22 millimeters in length. Microscopic analysis identified the species as Thelazia callipaeda.

This type of nematode is widespread across Asia and has established populations in parts of Europe. While these parasites primarily infest the eyes of felines and canines, humans can acquire the infection inadvertently. The case report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, details the successful manual extraction of the 11 adult worms.

The timing of the intervention prevented the maturation and hatching of the larvae within the patient's eyes. The man's corneal damage required attention following the removal of the parasites, which had eroded the transparent outer layer of the eye over the previous two months.