Leech crawls into Thai hiker's eye after hiding in camera's viewfinder, sucks blood near his tear duct

The unexpected presence of a leech in his eye made a Thai hiker's blood run cold when the parasite nestled itself onto his lower eyelid and started sucking near his tear ducts.

His shocking encounter with the unwelcome visitor was shared by fellow trekker and content creator Apichart Promtus on his Facebook page Der Baag on Nov 6, where he warned others to be careful of leeches while hiking.

"Today, I am going to share my personal experience which happens probably only once in 10,000 times or even once in 100,000 times: A leech that gets stuck in your eye," wrote Apichart.

"Many people may find this unbelievable, but it is true and very frightening."

He explained that a leech had climbed onto his friend's camera when the hiker momentarily placed his camera on the ground while looking for a photo spot, reported The Thaiger.

Unaware of the worm's presence on the viewfinder, the hiker then picked up his camera and positioned the viewfinder to his eye to take a picture of some trees, only for the worm to slither into his eye and suck for blood on the skin near his tear duct.

Apichart's friend started screaming in both pain and shock from the intrusion, and the duo reportedly took more than 30 minutes to successfully remove the "slippery" leech. His friend's eye also turned red and bruised, according to the content creator.

He and his friend had used their fingers to remove the leech as they were unaware of the correct course of action. 

How to handle leech bites

Apichart wrote that he later consulted friends and professionals, who advised hikers to carry some salt or salt water with them when trekking.

It will reportedly be easier to get rid of the leech if one drips a little salt or salt water in their eyes, according to Thai newspaper Khaosod.

While it is unclear where exactly the hikers were trekking, the majority of the leech species are found in freshwater environments like swamps, rivers and ponds. Some species can also live in marine habitats and others in terrestrial habitats like the Khao Sok rainforest, according to the Khao Sok National Park.

Some species of leeches will suck on to another animal and feed of its blood, but the bite of a leech is not dangerous, according to the park.

If one gets bitten by a leech, they should first clean it as best as possible using hydrogen peroxide or fresh, clean water and apply tiny bits of paper to the bite to absorb blood and stop the bleeding, according to an FAQ by travel guide Visit Khao Sok.

It is common for leech bites to begin itching around day three and continue itching for several days afterwards.

ALSO READ: Thai girl suffers from vaginal bleeding after a leech crawled inside

lim.kewei@asiaone.com