2-year-old boy found 6 live worms in his eyes! Change these habits now...

Expert in this article: Li Mingwu, Chief Physician of Ophthalmology, Peking University International Hospital

Recently, a 2-year-old boy in Wuhan went to the hospital for treatment because he often had secretions in his eyes. The doctor actually caught 6 milky white live worms about 1 cm long from the boy's eyes!

What's going on?

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The doctor determined that this was conjunctival sucking nematodes, which was probably caused by being too close to cats and dogs, or rubbing the eyes without washing hands in time after contact with cats and dogs.

In fact, this kind of news has been reported many times:

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Here comes the point. What exactly is the conjunctival sucking nematode? How to avoid eye parasite infection? This popular science article is a must-read!

What is the conjunctival sucking nematode?

This living worm is the conjunctival sucking nematode, a parasite that mainly parasitizes dogs, cats and other animals. It can cause disease by causing worm eggs to enter the eye through fruit flies or rubbing the eyes.

Children are the main population for infection with conjunctival sucking nematodes, as fruit flies are more likely to come into contact with the area around their eyes and they are more likely to have unhygienic habits such as rubbing their eyes. Of course, adults can also get sick.

In addition, since the breeding season of fruit flies is mainly in summer and autumn, infection also mainly occurs in summer and autumn.

Conjunctival sucking nematodes mainly move on the surface of the conjunctiva of the eye, which can induce conjunctival inflammation. Usually, doctors can cure it by removing all the nematodes on the surface of the eye with tweezers, without affecting vision or leaving other sequelae.

However, in rare cases, nematodes rubbing on the surface of the black eyeball can cause corneal lesions. In rare cases, they can even enter the inside of the eyeball and cause iritis or glaucoma, thereby causing decreased vision.

Which parasites can cause eye disease?

In addition, mites, amebas, toxoplasma, canine toxocara, pubic lice, trypanosomes, etc. can also cause eye lesions.

Mites

This is the most common parasite causing eye lesions. In fact, mites are associated with a variety of human diseases, including atopic dermatitis, asthma, acne, blepharitis, and more.

The main infector of the eye is human Demodex, which is usually less than 0.3mm in length and is usually invisible to the naked eye. Under a microscope, mites can be detected around the eyelashes of most people, but usually in small numbers and do not cause eye disease.

It is generally believed that if more than 3 mites/3 eyelashes are detected on each eyelid, mites are considered to be the causative factor of blepharitis. Blepharitis is the inflammation of the tissue around the eyelashes close to the eyes. The main manifestations are redness, desquamation, erosion, etc. around the eyes. It may also further lead to conjunctivitis or keratitis. The keratitis caused by it is easily misdiagnosed as viral keratitis and delayed treatment.

amoeba

It is widely present in the environment we live in.

At present, improper cleaning and wearing of corneal contact lenses is the main cause of amoeba eye infection. Corneal contact lenses include contact lenses, cosmetic contact lenses, orthokeratology lenses, etc.

In addition, foreign objects or natural water (well water, river water, etc., including "tap water" in daily life) splashing into the eyes can also cause illness.

Amebic infection of the eye mainly causes amoebic keratitis, a blinding eye disease that is very difficult to treat.

Toxoplasma gondii

This is an intracellular parasite. Its intermediate hosts include reptiles, fish, insects, birds, mammals and other animals and humans, and its final host is mainly cats.

Eating meat from infected animals or contaminated food is the main route of infection, and it can also be transmitted through saliva, blood, and organ transplants.

Toxoplasma gondii may cause infection in multiple parts of the body including the eyes. The main eye lesions are retinitis, iritis, etc.

Ocular canine toxocariasis

It is caused by ingestion of food contaminated with Toxocara eggs.

When Toxocara enters the eye, it will remain quiet and asymptomatic. Once it causes inflammation or the roundworm moves inside the eye, it can cause black shadows to float in front of the eyes, chronic endophthalmitis, retinal detachment, etc. In severe cases, it can even cause brain lesions.

Pubic lice

This is an external parasite. If it infects the human body, it usually grows in the genitals and sometimes around the eyelids and eyelashes, causing itchy and red eyes.

Leishmaniasis

Zoonotic diseases caused by Leishmania, which belongs to the same family as Trypanosoma, Trypanosomatidae.

Sand fly bites are the main route of human infection. Since the sand fly breeding season is from May to September, people who enter and live in endemic areas during these months may be infected, which can cause stromal keratitis and lead to blindness.

Microsporidiosis

It occurs all over the world, mainly in people with weakened immune systems such as AIDS patients, but infections in healthy people have also been reported.

Its intermediate host and transmission route are not very clear. Contact transmission may be the main cause of eye infection, which mainly leads to keratitis and conjunctivitis.

Trypanosomiasis

Also known as African sleeping sickness, it is caused by infection with Trypanosoma brucei. Tsetse fly bites are the main transmission route and can cause keratitis and lead to blindness.

River blindness/blinding filariasis

The world's second largest infectious blinding eye disease after trachoma, caused by infection with Onchocerca volvulus, is mainly found in Central Africa, West Africa, Central America, Yemen and other places. The bite of female flies is the main route of transmission.

If you are unfortunately infected with the above-mentioned parasites, you must receive systematic treatment from a professional ophthalmologist or infectious disease doctor in order to improve your condition. Some diseases are very difficult to treat.

So, how do you avoid being infected by these terrible parasites?

How to avoid eye parasite infections?

1. Pay attention to personal hygiene, do not rub your eyes, and avoid unclean water splashing into your eyes.

2. It is not recommended to have close contact with cats and dogs. Check your pets regularly to see if they are infected with nematodes. If they are infected, they need to be treated in time.

3. Raw and cold foods should be washed thoroughly, and knives and cutting boards for raw and cooked food should be separated to avoid contamination by insect eggs. At the same time, it is not recommended to eat hot pot or grilled food in a raw state in pursuit of a fresh and tender taste, especially uninspected meat.

4. Pay attention to environmental hygiene and avoid the breeding of mosquitoes and flies. If you go to places with many mosquitoes and flies, you can wear brightly colored long-sleeved clothes, wear a mask, use mosquito and fly repellent, or use a mosquito net to avoid mosquito bites.

5. If you travel or go abroad, especially to the wild or to places with poor living conditions, it is recommended that you learn about the local infectious disease situation in advance. If you travel to areas with a high incidence of infectious diseases such as Africa, you need to pay special attention to personal hygiene and protection.

If you can do the above points, you can avoid eye parasitic infections to a certain extent.

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