A Case of Thelazia Callipaeda Recurred At a One-month Interval

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a relapsed case of an intra-conjunctival Thelazia callipaeda infestation within one month. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old female patient presented with symptoms of itching and a sense of foreign substance in her left eye, which she had been experiencing for several days. Conjunctival hyperemia and follicle multiplication along with ten actively moving worms were identified and were extracted with forceps. The symptoms disappeared until 25 days later, when they recurred and five additional worms were extracted. All of the extracted worms were confirmed to be Thelazia Callipaeda and the patient's symptoms disappeared after the final extraction. CONCLUSIONS: More than one month of follow-up observation is required for human infection by Thelazia Callipaeda due to the post-extraction growth of the larva.