Doctors remove 11 live worms from farmer's eyes

A 71-year-old crop farmer in South Korea had 11 live worms removed from his eyes after enduring two months of irritation. The parasites were in the process of mating, and the female worms were pregnant at the time of extraction.

The man told doctors that he felt something stuck in both eyes for six weeks. His vision became blurry, and his eyes turned red. Ophthalmologists examined him and saw multiple moving, whitish roundworms. They also found enlarged blood vessels in the conjunctiva. The cells in the transparent outer layer of his eyes, the cornea, had eroded.

The medical team published the findings in a case report for the New England Journal of Medicine. They applied a topical numbing agent to the man's eyes. Using fine forceps, they pulled out the worms one by one. The 11 adults measured between 11 and 22 millimeters in length.

Microscopic analysis identified the parasites as Thelazia callipaeda nematodes. These organisms are common in Asia and have also appeared in parts of Europe. They typically infest the eyes of cats and dogs. Humans can acquire the infection if the parasites inadvertently enter the eye.