Worms mate in man's eyes, get plucked out right before larvae burst out

Case study gives a whole new meaning to "bedroom eyes."

The short version

• After two months of discomfort, a man in South Korea went to an eye clinic where doctors pulled 11 living, wriggling worms from his eyes.
• They apparently made the most of their time on the man’s peepers; at the time of extraction, many of the female worms were pregnant.
• The man narrowly avoided having them spew their loads of living larvae directly into his eyes.

What happened

According to a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine , the doctors gave the man a topical treatment to numb his eyes and then began plucking out the worms one by one with fine forceps. They collected 11 adult worms, which ranged in size from 11 to 22 mm.

Why it matters

Examining the worms under a microscope, the doctors identified them as Thelazia callipaeda nematodes, which are widespread across Asia and have also established in parts of Europe.

Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.