OCULAR DIROFILARIASIS: CLINICAL CASES

Over the past years, we have observed an increase in the number of animals and humans infected with dirofilariasis in moderate climates. Earlier, we described five cases of ocular dirofilariasis from 2015 to 2018. This article presents four new cases, all from 2019. One clinical case involves extremely rare localization in the anterior chamber of the eye. Only a few reports of Dirofilaria detected in the sclera, vitreous, and retina have been published. In Georgia, the problem of dirofilariasis has not been sufficiently studied. However, current evidence indicates that topographical characteristics contribute to the spread of the disease across the country. To date, no ocular cases of the disease have been identified, but only a single confirmed case has been diagnosed with subcutaneous localization of Dirofilaria repens at the S.Virsaladze Research Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine in 2015. But the last time in Georgia has increased the number of animals infected with dirofilariasis. In July, 2026 in First University Clinic of Tbilisi State Medical University was first case of subconjunctival helminth, which removal from orbital space successfully.