First report of external ophthalmomyiasis caused by Lucilia sericata Meigen in a healthy patient without predisposing risk factors

Abstract

A 72-year-old man with no medical history initially presented to the emergency room with severe tearing, redness, foreign body sensation, and pain in the left eye. He reported no previous history of any periocular trauma, malignancy, surgery, or systemic illness. On presentation, the patient only showed left periorbital edema and erythema in the left eyelid with no evidence of any skin malignancy. On slit lamp examination, multiple small whitish motile organisms were observed on the left conjunctival fornices. The organisms were removed, preserved, and identified as the third-stage larvae of Lucilia sericata (green bottle fly). The patient was treated with topical antibiotic and steroid eye drops and the inflammation resolved 1 week after treatment initiation. This is the first report of external ophthalmomyiasis caused by facultative parasite, L. sericata maggots in a healthy patient without any predisposing factors. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.