Wandering nematode in the vitreous cavity.
BACKGROUND
Bancroftian filariasis is focally endemic in Egypt. There have been many reports of intraocular filariasis; the question of why one filarial nematode should cause ocular disease while another does not may be related to the behavior of the microfilaria and the location of the cross-reacting ocular antigen.


METHODS
A 35-year-old woman with a white worm approximately 3 disk diameters in length penetrating the left macula, moving in the vitreous cavity, with a part of its length in the vitreous cavity while the rest was embedded subretinally, is described. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed and the worm was aspirated successfully.


RESULTS
Parasitologic study of the aspirated worm identified juvenile Wuchereria bancrofti. Ivermectin 150 μg/kg was given orally to the patient after identification of the worm. Six weeks later, the patient's visual acuity had improved to 20/200.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravitreal parasites should be surgically removed as soon as possible.
From the *Department of Ophthalmology, Alexandria University; †Armed Forces Hospitals; ‡General Ophthalmology Hospital, Alexandria; and §Department of Parasitology, High Health Institute, Alexandria, Egypt.
Samir Mohamed
SM
El-Baha
Tarek Samir
TS
Hemeida
Helmy Tewfik
HT
Omar
Sourya Abd-Elmajeed
SA
El-Fiki