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Can cat worms or eggs transfer to a human eye? What's the risk?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 5 months old

My cat that has tapeworm was sleeping /laying in our dresser drawer, and one of our family members closed the drawer without knowing that prince was in there. Then I threw a pair of shorts at my wife to wake up but I hit her open eyeball now im scared that my wife now has visceral larva migrans, is that how she gets That? What happens if a cat worm or egg get in a human eye?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on October 30th, 2017

I'm sorry to hear all happened! I bet you both and Prince were traumatized!!! The good news is that tapeworms are only spread by eating a flea that has eaten a baby tapeworm. So your wife cannot get tapeworms unless she eats a flea. Visceral or ocular larval migrans come from a intestinal worm called a Roundworm. These infestations can occur if the roundworm egg is eaten (aka not washing hands after handling Prince or cleaning the litter box, potentially letting Prince lick your mouth). The eggs would not be likely to develope in the eye BUT you should thoroughly flush out her eye and I would call her doctor to make sure they do not have any additional recommendations. Bacteria could be present and cause other problems. If the worm larva migrate to the eye, it will cause blindness. Additionally, I would recommend to have a fecal test run on Prince and appropriate deworming medication administered. Also, get Prince on flea prevention as this is where he got the tapeworms. Best of Luck with Prince!

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