14 Worms Pulled from Woman’s Eyes

US woman becomes the first human case to be infected with Thelazia gulosa - a type of parasitic eye worm.

US doctors have removed 14 worms from the eyes of a woman, the first known case in the world of human infection, previously only seen in cattle, according to CDC.

The woman, Abby Beckley a resident of Oregon, was diagnosed in August 2016 with Thelazia gulosa -- a type of eye worm seen in cattle in northern US and southern Canada, but never before in humans.

About Conjunctivitis | Pink Eye
Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye causes redness and soreness of the conjunctiva and is responsible for 1% of all emergency visits to a hospital.

‘A total of 14 worms, all less than half an inch long were extracted from the eyes of a woman after a rare parasitic infection.’

These eye worms are spread by flies that feed on the tears that lubricate the eyeball.

Beckley first reported sensing an irritant in her left eye. About a week later, she removed a small, translucent worm.

A total of 14 worms -- all less than half an inch long -- were extracted from the woman's conjunctiva and the surface of her eye over a two-week period before her symptoms ceased, reported the study, published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Eye Infections | Ocular Infections - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Eye infection is a common problem that often causes pain and discomfort to the eyes. Common symptoms of eye infection include pain, redness of eye or eyelids, eye discharge.

Doctors removed the eye worms with small, tweezer-like forceps or irrigation of the infected eye.

"Cases of eye worm parasitic infections are rare in the US, and this case turned out to be a species of the Thelazia that had never been reported in humans," said lead author Richard Bradbury, from the CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria.

Quiz on Eye Cancer
The eye is composed of several different types of tissues. Thus, cancer of the eye can be of a number of types. See how much you know about eye cancer by taking this quiz.

Eye worms, technically known as Thelazia, are found in a variety of animals -- including cats, dogs, and wild carnivores like foxes. They are transmitted by different types of flies.

Bradbury said most of the time, people who get these eye worms experience inflammation and the sensation that there is some type of foreign body in the eye.

Quiz on Eye Disorders (Advanced)
When your eye is the mirror to your soul, how can you ignore your eye health? Take this quiz to find out how much you know about the common eye disorders.

Initially, the doctors thought Beckley could be infected with Thelazia californiensis because that is the only species that was known to infect humans in the US.

However, "it was only after we looked more carefully that we realised some differences in anatomy that meant it could not be T. californiensis. We had to go back to papers published in German back in 1928 to help identify this worm as Thelazia gulosa," Bradbury explained.

"Previously, it was thought that there were only two different species of Thelazia eye worms (T. californiensis and Thelazia callipaeda) that infected humans worldwide. Now, we have to add Thelazia gulosa, a third one to the list."

Source-IANS