20 Cm Long Worm in Human Eye

This is the surgical removal of 20 cm long Loa Loa worm from the human eye.
This worm was seen originally in West Africa. Man is an intermediate host. The vector is mangrove fly or deer fly. The flies cause a lacerated wound on the skin to lap up blood and in the process transfer the organism. The developing worm can migrate to the eye, lungs, heart and under the skin where it can present as subcutaneous nodules called 'calabar swellings'.

Symptoms are usually eye pain, eyelid swelling, migrating pain or swelling, floaters, uveitis, etc. Almost all patients have raised eosinophils in blood.

Migration of microfilaria leads to microfilariasis which can be identified by blood tests or indirectly by raised eosinophil counts.

Treatment of microfilariasis is with DEC tablet 3 times a day for 15 days. Live worms can be cleared through surgical removal.