Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Oestrus ovis was first documented in 1974. While human cases of myiasis are uncommon, they are more frequently observed in areas with inadequate hygiene and in regions where sheep and goat farming is widespread. The condition tends to occur more often during the spring and summer months. The larvae of the sheep fly, Oestrus ovis, are the primary cause of ophthalmomyiasis, a zoonotic disease. The women Oestrus ovis keeps her eggs inside her body until they hatch, after which she usually puts her larvae in sheep and goats. The condition is primarily caused by Oestrus ovis and presents in two forms: external and internal. Internal ophthalmomyiasis occurs when the larvae penetrate the eyeball, potentially reaching and damaging the retina. While the external form is self- limiting, the internal form may lead to severe vision loss. This study presents and analyzes three cases of external ophthalmomyiasis along with their management approaches. The skin, eye, nose, paranasal sinuses, throat, intestine, and urogenital tract are among the anatomical locations where it is known to occur. The most prevalent kind of ophthalmomyiasis is conjunctival myiasis, which is a benign, self- limiting condition that is comparatively mild. Roughly 5% of all human myiasis cases involve an ocular manifestation. Ophthalmomyiasis externa can present with a variety of clinical signs, including typical conjunctivitis, pseudomembranous conjunctivitis, blepharoconjunctivitis, punctate keratitis, and keratouveitis. Based on the symptoms, eye pain is typically preceded by itching (pruritus), conjunctival redness (hyperemia), a sensation of a foreign body in the eye, and excessive tearing (lacrimation). These early ophthalmomyiasis externa symptoms could be mistaken for conjunctivitis. Since the larva can be seen moving in all directions from the side, detection and diagnosis are made much easier. The foundation of the treatment is the manual extraction of every larva under local anesthesia, which is followed by eye washing or rinsing and local therapy. It’s always better to prevent than to cure. Significant ophthalmomyiasis complications can be avoided with proper personal hygiene. Three cases of ophthalmomyiasis were identified and treated at the Shtip Clinical Hospital in the Republic of North Macedonia in 2025. It is typical that all of the patients are men from rural areas who work in agriculture and animal husbandry. For farmers and shepherds, myiasis should be regarded as an occupational disease.
Velickovska et al. (Thu,) studied this question.