Blindness and ocular diseases represent one of the most traumatic events for humans as they have the potential to severely impair both their quality of life and their psychological equilibrium. Although it is highly unusual, blindness has always been of great interest in human medicine. Apart from AIDS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiac disorders, leukemia, and others, many causes of blindness induced by parasites (Protozoa, Helminthes and Diptera) are of major public health concern worldwide. This review focused on zoonotic nematodes that affect the human eye.

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Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is an allergic reaction that causes inflammation of the conjunctiva. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential innate immune receptors that contribute to developing various allergic diseases. This case-control study aims to determine the correlation between TLR-4 gene (Asp299Gly) polymorphism and AC incidence and severity. The study included 70 AC patients and 70 non-allergic controls. All included subjects were subjected to a skin prick test, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement, and TLR-4 gene (Asp299Gly) polymorphism detection by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. AC patients had significantly higher total IgE levels than controls (P ≤ 0.001). The frequency of the wild-type AA and heterozygous AG genotype were significantly lower in AC patients compared to controls (60 % vs. 80 % and 8.6% vs. 12.9 %, respectively). In contrast, the homozygous mutant GG genotype was significantly more prevalent among AC patients than controls (31.4 % vs. 7.1 %). Furthermore, the wild AA genotype was strongly associated with mild disease (68.2%); nonetheless, the homozygous mutant GG genotype was linked to severe disease (53.8%). The heterozygous AG genotype was only found in moderate AC patients (17.1%). AC patients with the mutant G allele may be more likely to have a severe course of AC.