Garner A
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1976;70(5-6):374-7. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(76)90113-9.
Involvement of the outer eye in Onchocerca volvulus infection is characterized by an inflammatory process around degenerating microfilariae. Individual microfilariae in the cornea may be associated with localized punctate lesions or, especially when present in large numbers, may provoke a sclerosing keratitis due to invasion by fibrovascular pannus from the limbal conjunctiva. Anterior uveitis develops in some patients and can be either granulomatous, probably as a result of direct microfilarial invasion of the iris and ciliary body, or non-granulomatous, in which case the inflammation is likely to be a response to free microfilarial antigens. Posterior segment involvement takes the form of either inflammatory or atrophic lesions, or both. It is possible that the marked atrophy of the retina and choriocapillaris seen in some cases is largely attributable to preceding choroiditis and that the optic nerve atrophy has a similar pathogenesis.
盘尾丝虫感染累及眼外部的特征是围绕退化微丝蚴的炎症过程。角膜中的单个微丝蚴可能与局部点状病变有关，或者特别是当大量存在时，可能由于来自角膜缘结膜的纤维血管翳侵入而引发硬化性角膜炎。一些患者会发生前葡萄膜炎，可能是肉芽肿性的，这可能是由于微丝蚴直接侵入虹膜和睫状体所致，也可能是非肉芽肿性的，在这种情况下，炎症可能是对游离微丝蚴抗原的反应。眼后段受累表现为炎症性或萎缩性病变，或两者皆有。在某些病例中看到的视网膜和脉络膜毛细血管的明显萎缩，很大程度上可能归因于先前的脉络膜炎，并且视神经萎缩可能具有类似的发病机制。
