Purpose: to present the case of a 4-year-old girl with leech infestation of the ocular surface.
Design: observational case report.
Results: a 4-year-old girl presented with a two-day history of bleeding from the left eye. Examination under anesthesia revealed a leech adhering to the cornea and bulbar conjunctiva. Irrigation with normal saline released the leech from the conjunctiva. Detaching from the cornea was successful after injection of suxamethonium 50 mg/ml into the worm.
Conclusions: The possibility of leech infestation need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of open-globe injury with prolapse of uveal tissue. The use of a muscle relaxant for leech removal was not previously documented.