Subconjunctival dirofilariasis: a case report from the United Arab Emirates and review of literature from the Arabian Gulf region

We report the second case of ocular dirofilariasis from the United Arab Emirates in a 53-year-old Indian male. In this case, the patient had no travel history and presented with severe ocular pain and redness. Clinical examination raised the suspicion of a parasitic infection, and a microscopic examination confirmed the diagnosis of Dirofilaria repens. Surgical intervention was performed, and the patient had good postoperative outcomes. To our knowledge, this was the fifth case of human dirofilariasis and the third of ocular dirofilariasis to be reported from an area where the parasite is not known to be endemic – the Arabian Gulf region.