Ocular toxocariasis. A review.

This review is an update on the subject of ocular toxocariasis. An introductory section is designed to familiarize the clinician with the epidemiology, characteristics of the organism, the life cycle in dogs and the systemic human disease known as visceral larval migrans ( VLM ). The more comprehensive second section considers the historical aspects of the ocular involvement, the clinical variations of ocular toxocariasis, pathology, differential diagnosis, diagnostic approaches, and treatment. Emphasis is placed upon new diagnostic techniques such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and cytologic diagnosis of intraocular aspirates. Newer therapeutic techniques such as vitrectomy are also considered. The review includes 200 references on systemic and ocular toxocariasis.