Ophthalmomyiasis externa due to sheep nasal botfly in rural Jamaica

Abstract

We present the case of a young male patient who presented with pain, redness and foreign body sensation in his left eye. There was no associated decrease in vision. Three live larvae were removed from his left conjunctival sac and sent to the laboratory for identification. The patient was treated symptomatically and his symptoms were mostly resolved by the following day. The larvae were later identified as the first instar of the sheep nasal botfly. Poor sanitation and exposure to livestock were among the identified risk factors in this case. Physicians must have this as a differential diagnosis for conjunctivitis in patients with risk factors. This is the first reported case of ophthalmomyiasis from Jamaica.