[Chorioretinopathy caused by migration of caterpillar hairs. Apropos of 2 cases].

Caterpillars cause many ocular lesions by a pathogen agent coming from their coating: the hairs. These can enter into the eye ball and migrate in the ocular tissues; a secondary inflammatory reaction to the foreign body will appear. This reaction is due to the hairs themselves as foreign body, but also partly to their contents: a liquid toxin which contains proteins, lipids and other components. The morphological configuration of the hair favours its migration in the tissues. Among the different lesions observed, chorio retinopathies are not very frequent, but their clinical aspect is quite characteristic and they are easier to recognize when they are associated with intra crystalline caterpillar hairs. Two cases of chorio retinopathies had been recorded. Both had hairs inside the lens and important hyalitis. One had the very characteristic "track-shaped" scars in the eye-fundus. The other had a focal chorio retinitis above the inferior temporal artery and developed a retinal tear. Local and general corticotherapy was applied, but the effect was not adequate. Vitrectomy was performed in the two patients with a good functional result. This seems to prove that vitrectomy may be useful for the important hyalitis secondary to the intra ocular migration of caterpillar hairs.