Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report 

Video Credit: AsiaWire / Mingzhou Hospital

This is the moment a doctor plucks one of three wriggling parasitic worms from a dog owner’s eye which were retrieved along with a host of eggs after his pooch infected him.

Mr Yan, 54, from the city of Ningbo in East China’s Zhejiang Province, complained of chronic symptoms including conjunctivitis, tear over-secretion and sharp pain in his left eye.

He was examined by ophthalmologist Zhou Guping at Zhejiang University Mingzhou Hospital, and was found to be hosting three parasitic roundworms of the species Thelazia callipaeda in his left eye.

The nematodes commonly infest the eyes of dogs and cats, and are the cause of the condition thelaziasis, which is also known as ‘eye worm infestation’.

Doctor Zhou recalled: “I shined a light into his eye and saw the worms swimming in it. I told the patient, who was very scared.

“The parasites were very lively and swam away as soon as I touched them.

“They were each about 1 to 2 centimetres (0.4 to 0.8 inches) in length, and about as thick as regular sewing thread.

“Only the patient’s left eye was infested. His right eye had not been contaminated.”

Doctor Zhou said he removed three eye worms and several eggs from Mr Yan’s left eye in three minutes.

He was also put on a course of anti-parasitics which should help end the infection.

As the nematodes are spread by flies and are known to inhabit the tear ducts and eyelids of dogs and cats, Mr Zhou believes the parasites spread from Mr Yan’s pooch.

Eggs or larvae can spread from infected pets to humans when owners fail to practice good hygiene, the medic noted.

Doctor Zhou added: “The thought of a worm swimming in your eye is a frightening thought to anyone, and these parasites are also very small and hard to find.

“But actually the condition is easy to diagnose and, if treated early, won’t lead to any further negative effects.

“Symptoms such as pink eye or pain subside as soon as the worms are removed.

“However, if the worms are left in the eye for too long, they can damage the cornea, which may lead to impaired vision.”

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.

Daily Mail – Daily Star – 7News – Express