Korean Farmer Goes For Eye Checkup, Doctors Discover 11 Parasitic Worms

Doctors treating a 71-year-old farmer in South Korea were left surprised after discovering 11 parasitic worms in his eyes, including females that were already producing larvae. The man had spent the last few months in pain with red eyes and blurry vision. After reaching the eye clinic for a checkup, the ophthalmologists took a quick look and analysed the problem. Multiple mobile whitish roundworms were wriggling and thriving inside both his eyes.

According to the case study documented by doctors at Kangwon National University Hospital and published in The New England Journal of Medicine on October 24, the farmer had approached the hospital, seeking cataract surgery.

After the initial prognosis, the doctors administered local anaesthesia and carefully removed the 11 live, translucent worms using fine forceps. Identified as Thelazia callipaeda nematodes, the worms ranged in size from 11 to 22 mm.

Some of the female worms were carrying eggs, and as per the doctors, could have reproduced if the doctors had not intervened in time.

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The farmer's condition instantly improved after the worms were removed. Despite the unusual case, he did not need any anti-parasitic medication Doctors monitored the patient for two months afterward and found no sign of recurrence.

The doctors documenting the case said it may help physicians consider the possibility of parasitic infection when treating patients with prolonged foreign-body sensation or redness of unknown cause.

These worms are widespread across Asia and found in parts of Europe. They infest the eyes of cats and dogs but can also make their way into human eyes in certain cases.

The worms' life cycle depends on flies that feed from the animals' eyes, slurping up tears and secretions. When they feed from an infested eye, the flies can pick off the worms' first-stage larvae, which use the insect as both an incubator and an air taxi.