Doctors use lasers to blast worm living behind man's eye for nine months

A MAN from the USA state of Iowa lived with a worm behind his eyeball for nine months.

John Matthews from Bellevue, discovered his uninvited guest after becoming concerned when he noticed two spots obscuring vision in his left eye.

After tests at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, doctors discovered the invasive creature and rushed Matthews into a treatment room where they shot a laser into his eyeball to kill the worm.

"I could see it from behind, moving, trying to dodge the laser," he told the Telegraph Herald.

The Telegraph Herald reported that it took a second round of laser treatment before the worm was killed.

The worm's remains will be absorbed into Matthews' body, but he will suffer permanent damage to his retina.
Matthews said he either picked up the parasite on vacation in Mexico or it could have been a raccoon roundworm he caught while turkey hunting.

A film crew from Animal Planet came to Iowa to film a story about Matthews for the show Shape Shifters.