Ocular loiasis in Ohio: a case report

Ocular manifestations of dermatological diseases part I: infectious and inflammatory disorders

Skin and eyes share a common embryological origin from the embryonic surface ectoderm. Ocular manifestations are one of the most important and common associations of dermatological diseases. Currently, there are few comprehensive reviews of the ocular manifestations of dermatological diseases. We have reviewed more than 40 published articles related to the ocular manifestations of the most important dermatological diseases. The search included Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases from 2014 to 2019. This review was divided into three parts including infections, inflammatory, genetics, connective tissue, autoimmune, neoplasms, and drug-related disorders. We excluded metabolic, endocrine, and nutrition-related dermatological diseases. The relationship of ocular manifestations and dermatological diseases is important to recognize for appropriate management since many dermatological diseases can manifest initially with ocular findings. In this part, we summarized the most common and significant ocular findings in infectious and inflammatory dermatological disorders with appropriate referral recommendations to ophthalmology.

Nonsurgical management of photoaversive ocular and systemic loiasis in Michigan

Objective: Ocular loasis refers to ocular conditions such as pain and redness caused by the movement of the Loa loa nematode through the subconjuctival space of the eye. It is a tropical disease that is very rarely seen in North America. We report the case of a 32-year-old male who was recently diagnosed with ocular loasis in the Midwestern region of the United States. Methods: He presented to the emergency department with left eye pain after seeing a "worm in his eye" the previous night. He had emigrated from Cameroon 7 years prior. Anterior segment examination revealed a translucent, motile worm in the subconjunctival space of his left eye. Results: Prior to the patient's scheduled follow-up for surgical removal of the worm, it migrated into the lower eyelid subdermal space. Serum testing confirmed the presence of Loa loa microfilariae at a concentration of >17,000 mf/mL. Conclusion: The patient was treated at the National Institute of Health (NIH) with pheresis followed by diethylcarbamazine and reported symptomatic improvement 1 month after treatment. This case report demonstrates the importance of being able to recognize and properly manage vector-borne parasites in nonendemic areas due to increased travel and climate change.