A 71-year-old South Korean farmer had 11 living Thelazia callipaeda roundworms removed from his eyes after two months of discomfort. The worms were found to be pregnant at extraction, narrowly avoiding a scenario where larvae would have been released directly into his eyes. The infection, typically found in cats and dogs, is transmitted by flies that feed on eye secretions.
Background
Thelazia callipaeda, the oriental eye worm, is a nematode parasite common across Asia and parts of Europe that primarily infects the eyes of cats and dogs. This case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine as a rare but documented instance of human infection.
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 27, 2026 at 04:27 AM
- Score
- 5.0 / 10