Medical case study reports extraction of 11 live worms from 71-year-old patient's eyes
A case report in the New England Journal of Medicine details the removal of 11 adult roundworms from a South Korean farmer who suffered two months of ocular distress.
A 71-year-old crop farmer in South Korea sought medical attention after two months of persistent eye irritation, redness, and blurred vision. Upon examination, ophthalmologists discovered 11 mobile roundworms residing within the patient's conjunctiva.
Medical staff removed the parasites, which measured between 11 and 22 millimeters, using fine forceps under topical anesthesia. Examination of the extracted helminths revealed that several female specimens were pregnant, indicating a significant risk of larval infestation had the worms not been removed when they were.
The infestation caused notable ocular damage, including enlarged blood vessels and corneal cell erosion. The case was formally documented in the New England Journal of Medicine as an example of ocular parasitic infection. Doctors successfully cleared the worms, preventing potential further complications from the reproduction of larvae directly within the eye.