US — Ars Technica

Worms mate in man's eyes, get plucked out right before larvae burst out

PolicyOctober 27, 20261 min read

A 71-year-old farmer in South Korea had worms living in his eyes for two months. Doctors pulled out 11 worms, and many of the females were pregnant.

What happened

A man in South Korea went to an eye clinic after two months of discomfort. Doctors numbed his eyes and used fine tweezers, called forceps, to pull out 11 living worms one by one. Many of the female worms were pregnant, so the man almost had baby worms (larvae) released into his eyes.

Key facts

The patient is 71 years old and works as a crop farmer.
He felt something stuck in both eyes for about two months. His eyes were also red and blurry.
Doctors removed 11 adult worms.
The worms were 11 to 22 mm long.
The worms were identified as Thelazia callipaeda.

About the worm

Thelazia callipaeda is a type of roundworm, called a nematode. It is found across Asia and in parts of Europe. It usually infects the eyes of cats and dogs. Sometimes it gets into a human eye by accident. The eyes of this patient were also damaged. The blood vessels around the eye were swollen, and the clear outer layer of the eye, the cornea, had worn away in places.

Why it matters

This case shows that pet parasites can sometimes infect people. It also shows that a long-lasting eye problem, such as red eyes and a feeling of something in the eye, should be checked by a doctor. The case was described in the New England Journal of Medicine, a well-known medical journal.

Glossary

Thelazia callipaeda: A type of eye worm that mostly infects cats and dogs and can rarely infect people.
cornea: The clear, dome-shaped outer layer at the front of the eye.
forceps: A small tool like tweezers that doctors use to grab and pull things.
New England Journal of Medicine: A respected medical journal that publishes research and case reports from doctors.

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