A 71-year-old farmer in South Korea who visited a hospital for cataract surgery was found to have 11 live parasitic worms in his eyes, including some that had already begun reproducing.
The farmer had initially approached the hospital seeking cataract surgery. However, during an examination, doctors noticed several small worms moving in the spaces between his eyelids and eyeballs. Speaking to Gizmodo, lead author Ji Eun Song, an ophthalmologist at Kangwon National University Hospital, explained that the findings indicated the parasites had reached reproductive maturity inside the man’s eyes. The resulting condition, known as thelaziasis, can cause eye irritation, redness, excessive tearing and blurred vision.
The unusual case was documented by doctors at Kangwon National University Hospital and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on October 24.
Thelazia worms are transmitted through flies that feed on tears and other eye secretions, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Doctors found no signs of recurrence during follow-up examinations, and the farmer was expected to undergo his originally planned cataract surgery.
