12cm long worm pulled out of woman's eye

The patient was suffering from sudden swelling of the eyelid.

Dr Vikram Mohindra

The newly-opened Aster hospital in Dubai has successfully operated on and treated a rare eye infection after the patient was told by other facilities that the infection was of "no real concern".

The patient, 55-year old Vineeta M., was suffering from sudden swelling of the eyelid. Dr Vikram Mohindra, Aster Hospital's ophthalmologist, discovered the patient was suffering from a parasitic infection called dirofilariasis, which is caused by mosquito bites. According to the Journal of Parasitic Diseases, there have only been 800 reported cases worldwide of dirofilariasis since it was first documented in 1885.

However, there is an alarming concern of increased incidence and it is now considered an emerging zoonosis or disease coming from animals.

The surgical team led by Dr Mohindra successfully extracted a 12-cm filarial worm and the patient's eyelid was repaired. The patient has now fully recovered.Dr Mohindra said this particular case acts as a good message of encouraging patients to pay attention to what their bodies are telling them and have it checked by physicians when something is not normal. "It can save lives," he said.

Vineeta said she is "truly grateful" to Dr Mohindra for his keenness in taking up her case, which proved to be "a good call".

"It pays to trust your instincts - mine in seeking a second opinion and Dr Mohindra for investigating my case. My life is back to normal now and I can see without obstruction or discomfort," she said.

/KT