The image seems impossible, but there are documented cases of worms that can live in the human eye. These are parasites of the genus Thelazia, known as “eye worms”, which normally infect various animals and only occasionally reach humans.
The parasite can move across the surface of the eye, beneath the eyelids, and near the tear ducts. In an infected person, it can cause irritation, excessive tearing, a sensation of having something in the eye, itching, discharge, and sensitivity to light.
The most unsettling part is that the worm can become visible to the naked eye. They are usually small, whitish organisms that move across the surface of the eye.
One of the best-known cases occurred in Oregon, United States. In 2016, 26-year-old Abby Beckley began to feel irritation in her left eye after spending time outdoors. When she examined her eye, she discovered something that seemed impossible: there was a small worm moving around in it.
Doctors eventually removed 14 worms from her eye. The parasites were identified as Thelazia gulosa, a species that normally affects cattle and that had not previously been documented in humans.
These parasites do not appear spontaneously inside the eye. They are transmitted by flies that feed on animals’ tears and can deposit larvae around another host’s eye. In humans, the infection is considered rare and accidental.
Treatment consists of physically removing the worms, normally through a procedure performed by health care professionals. Once they are removed, the symptoms usually disappear.
So yes: although the photograph may look like a horror scene, a worm moving inside a human eye is something that can really happen, even though it is an uncommon infection.