New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS): Doctors have extracted more than sixty live worms from a patient's eyes during an operation in China.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, had been experiencing itchy eyes and one day, after rubbing them to relieve the tingling sensation, she was shocked to see that a parasite worm fell out. She was immediately rushed to a local hospital in Kunming, reports the Mirror.

Upon examination, medics left shocked when they discovered that the space between her eyeballs and eyelids was crawling with worms.

According to local media reports, doctors removed over forty live worms from her right eye and over ten from her left. In total, more than 60 parasites were taken from her eyes.

Doctor Guan, who carried out the procedure, said the huge number of parasites made the patient a rare case. Doctors believed she was infected by roundworms, of the Filarioidea type. The infection is typically transmitted through fly bites, the report mentioned.

However, the woman thinks she contracted it from dogs or cats, carrying the infectious larvae on their bodies. She believes she might have touched the animals and rubbed her eyes immediately afterwards.

Moreover, the report noted that the doctors have asked the woman to return for frequent check-ups, as there might be residual larvae left behind. Doctors also advised her to always wash her hands immediately after touching pets.

Meanwhile, a few roundworm species have been observed settling around the conjunctiva of the eye. They are more commonly found in Africa than in China.

They can cause eye inflammation, but in some cases, they can cause blindness.