How To Spot Onchocerciasis

Patchy Skin Depigmentation

When the skin irritations and nodules of onchocerciasis occur, they may be caused by the response of the body to the dying or dead blackfly larvae, which create seriously itchy skin. No matter what treatment is used or how hard an infected individual tries, they are bound to scratch their severely itchy skin, which may lead to skin damage. This skin damage, in turn, may cause a leopard-like appearance of the skin, skin color change, skin thinning, and damage to the elastic tissue that causes the skin to appear like cigarette paper. Constant damage due to itching and scratching remains the primary cause of skin damage and patchy skin depigmentation.

Eye Lesions

Dead and dying larvae not only cause nodules and lesions in the skin, but in the eyes as well. The inflammation of these dying bodies can initially be reversed. But, if not treated, the damage caused by dead and dying larvae might progress to the cornea becoming permanently clouded. The vision eventually becomes clouded, and then optic nerve damage causes peripheral vision loss. Eventually, untreated eye lesions can lead to uncorrectable vision loss. Seeing a doctor as soon as possible when vision issues occur should enable earlier diagnosis and treatment of this disease, and stop the recurring growth of the black fly larvae in the body and especially in the eyes.