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Ophthalmic dirofilariasis
P G Arvanitis1, N C Vakalis, A G Damanakis
1Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School of Athens University, Greece.
Purpose:
To report a rare case of ophthalmic dirofilariasis in a 68-year-old man with sudden, intense pain and itching in the left eye. The nematode was located in the eye and recognized as Dirofilaria repens.
Methods:
Slit-lamp examination disclosed a moving nematelminth under the bulbar conjunctiva of the left eye. The nematode was surgically removed.
Results:
The nematelminth surgically removed from the subconjunctival space was identified as D repens on the basis of transverse sections and its macroscopic characteristics.
Conclusion:
It is important to identify the nematode as D repens, based on both its microscopic and macroscopic characteristics, to avoid treatment with anthelminthic agents. The surgical removal of the worm is the sole recommended treatment.