External ophthalmomyiasis caused by Oestrus ovis misdiagnosed as bacterial conjunctivitis

Abstract

Ophthalmomyiasis is the infestation of the eye by maggots or bots of certain flies which is mostly caused by Oestrus ovis. The most common form of ophthalmomyiasis is external that only the external surface of the eye is involved. Symptoms of external myiasis are nonspecific so it can be misdiagnosed as any other conjunctivitis if the doctors do not take myiasis into consideration. We report a case series of external ophthalmomyiasis. All the patients complained of mild foreign body sensation, redness, watery eyes and some of them had lid swelling. Larvae on the external surface of the patients must be removed under dim light. Larvae can hide in the fornices of the patients as happened in our two cases. Because of our lack of experience about ophthalmomyiasis, we misdiagnosed the first patient as bacterial conjunctivitis. Ophthalmomyiasis may be difficult to detect so ophthalmologists must keep in mind the possibility of ophthalmic myiasis especially in rural regions.

Keywords: Asia; Parasitic infection; ocular.