Ocular dirofilariasis: Ophthalmic implication of climate change on vector-borne parasites

Purpose To describe a geographically rare case of ophthalmic dirofilariasis. Observations An 81-year-old male of good socioeconomic status living in the state of Michigan in the United States, presented to the eye clinic with a painful red left eye. He had not traveled outside of the state of Michigan in over three years. He was found to have a 7 cm long subconjunctival roundworm, which was ultimately extracted. Conclusions and importance With increasing global temperatures, ocular dirofilariasis is being introduced in more northern climates and should be included in the differential diagnosis in areas previously isolated from these vector-borne parasites.