Corneal foreign body revealing Phthirus pubis: A rare case report

Phthirus pubis infestation of the cornea is an exceedingly rare clinical entity. We report the case of a 27-year-old male with redness, pain, watering, and foreign body sensation in his left eye after a foreign body entered his eye while riding a bike. Slit-lamp examination revealed a small fluorescein-positive ulcer-like lesion with surrounding stromal edema in the inferior cornea. Corneal scraping was performed, and microbiological examination revealed Phthirus pubis . The lesion was managed with ocular surface irrigation, topical moxifloxacin, and lubricants. Pubic hair samples were also examined and did not reveal evidence of pediculosis pubis, suggesting accidental inoculation of the parasite into the cornea. The patient was followed up for 1 week, at which the corneal lesion had healed completely and symptoms had resolved without recurrence. This case highlights the importance of microbiological evaluation in atypical corneal lesions and the unusual possibility of isolated corneal Phthirus pubis infestation.