Recently, a 28-year-old lady who was suffering from a red swollen eye shockingly discovered a small worm wriggling on the surface of her eyeball when she looked into the mirror.
According to China Press, a lady named Wong from Hubei province, China often loves to play with her pet dog after work. She would cuddle up the dog and watch television together.
Since her dog is given a bath on a regular basis, this made her think that her dog is fairly clean and parasite-free, which led her to think that washing her hands after playing with her dog isn’t necessary.
However, just a week ago, Wong started getting irritations on her right eye. Initially she thought it was probably due to dirt or sand that had gotten into her eye. And since it wasn’t painful nor itchy, she neglected it. Big mistake…
After a few days, she woke up and realised her eye was in terrible shape. She took a closer look in the mirror and noticed a thread-like object wriggling on the surface of her eyeball. Stunned by this sight, she immediately went to seek medical help.
After checking Wong’s right eye, the doctor discovered a small worm measuring 2cm in length on her eyeball. OMG!
Source: Sohu
Source: China Press
The doctor confirmed that Wong had contracted thelaziosis (also dubbed the ‘oriental eyeworm’), which is a form of eye infection that’s caused by the parasitic eyeworm.
After retrieving the worm out, the doctor washed and disinfected Wong’s eye since the eyeworm has a tendency to lay eggs on the eye membrane. This parasite also commonly infects pets like cats, dogs and bunnies.
It was speculated Wong probably played with her dog and her hand became contaminated with the eyeworm eggs. She then touched her right eye, thus transferring the eggs to her eye. FYI, common symptoms of thelaziosis include eye irritation, watery eyes, conjunctivitis or corneal ulcers.
So guys, always make it a point to wash your hands after playing with your pets ok? You’ll never know what parasite(s) your pets may have contracted!
Also read: Health Officials Warn Public As Salmons Found Infected With Japanese Broad Tapeworms
