Delayed presentation of intraocular pentastomiasis resulting in unilateral blindness in a Congolese child

We report the case of a 6-year-old girl who presented with a motile larva in the anterior chamber of the right eye, associated with anterior uveitis, secondary glaucoma, and blindness. The larva was identified macroscopically as Armillifer grandis, a pentastomid parasite with snakes and other reptiles as definitive hosts. Intraocular pressure normalized and intraocular inflammation resolved within days following removal. This case is reported because ocular pentastomiasis is exceptionally rare compared with visceral pentastomiasis. It underscores the vision-threatening potential of intraocular pentastomiasis and the importance of early recognition and prompt surgical extraction to prevent visual impairment. Ocular pentastomiasis is a rare parasitic infection of the eye caused by larval stages of pentastomid arthropods, most commonly Armillifer and less frequently Linguatula species. Although pentastomiasis has historically been considered an endemic zoonosis in some areas of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, imported cases have been reported in nonendemic regions (Europe and North America) as a result of increased travel and migration.^1-4.