Doctors and a professor from the University of the West Indies have identified the creature taken recently from the eye of a St Andrew woman as a sheep nasal bot fly (scientific name, Oestrus ovis).

The fly, which is usually active during the summer and early fall, is a hairy, yellowish, bee-like fly, which is about the same size as a common fly. The larva, which is the young of the fly, is a worm-like creature which can be about 20 to 30 millimetres in length.

On Tuesday, THE STAR published a story about a St Andrew woman whose eyes were infested by the fly. According to reports, the woman was in her yard when a fly flew into her eye. Though she chased the insect away, a burning feeling lingered. She was treated by an ophthalmologist but the sensation did not go away. On her second trip to the doctor, the worms were discovered.

An ophthalmologist familiar with the case had told THE STAR it was the first such an incident was being recorded in Jamaica, but said he had heard of it elsewhere.

THE STAR yesterday contacted Dr Jephthah Ford, who further consulted with Dr Donovan Calder, a consultant ophthalmologist, and Professor Lindo from the University of the West Indies to conclude what the creatures were.

The creatures are the first of their kind to be found in the island and according to the website, http://ipm.ncsu.edu, they are found throughout the continental United States as well as middle Eastern countries.

The insects prey primarily on goats and sheep and usually deposit their eggs in the animals' nostrils or eyes. The eggs stay there until they are fully developed and are then sneezed out by the animal. Human infestation, however, has been recorded in Kuwait and New Zealand.