r/todayilearned • u/1998199888 • 2d ago

TIL about Delusional parasitosis, sometimes referred to as phantom infestation, is a psychological disorder in which an individual mistakenly believes their body is overrun by living or inanimate entities. Typical examples of these perceived invaders include bugs, worms, or microbes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis
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u/inkfade 2d ago

The first ophthalmology clinic I worked at, this guy kept coming in because he thought there were parasites in his eyes. Each time he came in, he would say that the infestation was getting worse and he couldn't see and he could feel them moving in his eyes.

He would send up-close videos of his eyes to the triage nurse and point out the parasites "moving," which really was just light reflecting on his eyeball. The last time I saw him, he was freaked out and saying that he had infected his family with the parasites and he could see them moving in his wife and two childrens' eyes.

The doctor never referred him to psychiatry. :/

AND THEN. One of the optometrists I used to work for (at a separate job) said during residency she had a patient who actually did have a worm floating around in their eye. He had visited Africa some time before that, which is where he must have gotten it she said.