Ophthalmologists in South Korea removed 11 living roundworms from the eyes of a 71-year-old crop farmer after he reported two months of a stuck-in-the-eye sensation, redness and blurred vision, Ars Technica reported, citing a New England Journal of Medicine case report¹.

The worms were identified as Thelazia callipaeda, nematodes that mainly infest the eyes of cats and dogs and can infect people when flies that feed on tears and eye secretions transfer larvae¹. The species is widespread in Asia and has also become established in parts of Europe¹.

Doctors found multiple mobile, whitish worms, enlarged conjunctival blood vessels and corneal cell erosion¹. After topical numbing, they extracted the adults with fine forceps; the worms measured 11 to 22 millimeters¹.

Female T. callipaeda are ovoviviparous, releasing first-stage larvae that continue the cycle when taken up by flies¹. Ars said some females taken from the patient were carrying embryonated eggs, and coiled larvae began emerging after the worms were removed¹.

Ars reported that removing the adult worms ended the infection without antiparasitic medication, even if some larvae had remained¹. At a follow-up two months later, eye symptoms had resolved and no worms were found¹.

The account is a single published case, not a study of how often human thelaziasis occurs or how it is best treated¹. Ars linked the New England Journal of Medicine Images in Clinical Medicine item; WhatsNewPaper did not independently verify the journal page beyond that citation¹. Not medical advice.

Sources

1. Ars TechnicaWhat's worse than having eye worms? Having eye worms with babies.4:28 PM

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