10-cm-long worm lodged in man’s eye removed through surgery in Madikeri

MADIKERI: In a curious case, a 10-cm-long worm was surgically removed from a man’s eye. The 66-year-old man, a former soldier from Cherambane in Madikeri taluk, had been experiencing persistent itching in his left eye for a month.

He visited the Iksha Super Specialty Eye Hospital in Madikeri on the September 12, where Dr A G Chinnappa examined him. Upon examination, Dr Chinnappa found a swelling on the conjunctiva (the white part of the eye) that was moving. A scan revealed a long worm inside the swelling.

An emergency surgery was performed, and the worm was removed. The worm measured 10 cm in length. Further microscopic examination confirmed that the worm was a Loa loa, a type of parasitic worm commonly found in Africa. If left untreated, the man could have suffered from blindness. The successful surgery has saved the man’s vision, and he is receiving further treatment.

“We could see some movement on the eye ball and subjected him to a scan which revealed the presence of a worm. We immediately performed surgery under local anasthaesia. We were surprised that the worm was still alive and was 10 cm long”, said Dr Chinnappa.