Loa Loa, also known as African slime, is a parasite that attacks the eye system, causing symptoms such as irritation, pain, excitement and anger in the eyes.
Generally, the larva is lodged in the body when the tango fly, very common in some parts of Africa, changes skin several times, depositing the larvae in the blood, which migrate to the final site of the infection, which in this case loa is, mainly in the eyes, where the larvae develop to the adult stage and release larvae that continue to circulate in the bloodstream.
- This disease has a cure.
- So it is necessary to perform the treatment indicated by the ophthalmologist.
- Which may include the use of drops to relieve symptoms and pills to remove larvae from the body.
See other situations that can cause pain and redness in the eyes, which do not include the presence of larvae.
Loa infection usually occurs in the same symptoms, mainly in people living in the area where the fly is located, however, in the more advanced stages, which are the larvae that go to the eyes, the main symptoms that can occur are:
In addition, in some cases the presence of larvae in the eye may be advisable, so it is important to consult the ophthalmologist to start treatment and remove the larva, in most cases Loa is only present in the soil, so it is possible that symptoms can only be found in one of them.
Similarly, the larva can also be kept on the ground and, in these cases, it is common for balls that do not cause pain in the arms and legs, especially in areas close to the joints.
Diagnosis of the disease should be made by a family doctor or ophthalmologist by valuing symptoms or identifying the larvae in the eye, in addition, the doctor may request that blood tests be performed so that the presence of larvae in the blood can be identified, and it is important that the blood sample is taken by humans.
You may also order immunological tests to check for loa antibodies to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment should always be guided by the ophthalmologist, which may vary depending on the degree of larval development and symptoms present. The most commonly used drugs are:
In more advanced cases, surgery is recommended to remove larvae from the eye, especially those that are more superficial.
Treatment usually gives good results and therefore the individual does not develop in any sequence; However, in the most severe cases, vision difficulties may occur even after treatment.
The best way to avoid contagion with this larva is to reduce exposure to this type of fly, for him some students are:
Generally, these types of flies are not active during the day, so be careful to keep the sun mainly outside.