US woman had 14 worms pulled from her eyes after rare infection

Abby Beckley was suspected to had been infected by the worms spread by face flies after she visited a coastal beach in Oregon in northern America.

Fourteen tiny worms known by the scientific name Thelazia gulosa were removed from the left eye of the 26-year-old woman in August 2016, the Scientists reports on Monday.

The worms are spread by face flies and feed on the tears that lubricate the eyeball. While commonly associated with cattle in the northern United States and southern Canada, it was never found in humans. Well, until the reported case.

Beckley had visited Gold Beach, Oregon, a coastal, cattle-farming area where she had engaged in riding and fishing activities and subsequently developed an irritation of the eye. One week after, she pulled a worm from her eye. Over two weeks, doctors removed 13 more. The worms were translucent and each was less than half an inch long.

After they were removed, no more worms were found and she had no additional symptoms.

The report was published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.